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OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 

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Dr.  Charles  B.  Johnson 
Champaign 
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1933 


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THE  LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


1785—1909 


UNi.VLRSnY  OF  ILLINOIS 

DANIEL  DRAKE  AND  HIS 
FOLLOWERS 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

BY 

OTTO  JUETTNER,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 

Author  of  ^^Modern  Physio -therapy'' 

Editor  of^^^Songs  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati" 

Fellow  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine,  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science,  the  Ohio  Historical  Society,  the  Association  of  American  Medical 
Editors,  the  American  Electro-therapeutic  Association,  the  American  Physio- 
therapeutic Association,  the  Royal  Society  of  Medicine  (England), 
the  Royal  Microscopical  Society,  the  Royal  Anthropological  In- 
stitute of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  the  London  Roentgen 
Society,  the  Society  of  Arts  (London),  the  German 
Roentgen  Society,  the  Societe  de  Radiologie  et 
Eleftrologie  (Paris),  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


^*2'he  world  is  moved  by  men  of  uneasy  Hawthorne 


HARVEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1909, 
By  Otto  Juettner. 


Oa  Zi  "Bon. 


SEP  6-  -E* 

university  of  ILLINOIS 

FOREWORD 


T'^HIS  book  contains  the  story  of  some  of  the  great  architects  of  yester- 
day, who  laid  the  foundation  of  and  helped  to  build  the  stately 
edifice  of  Western  medicine.  A few  years  ago  I picked  up  Mans- 
field’s “Memoirs  of  Daniel  Drake,”  and  was  completely  fascinated  by  the 
character  and  the  life  work  of  Drake.  Posterity  has  done  nothing  for  this 
great  man.  He  seems  to  be  entirely  forgotten.  To  hold  up  the  mirror 
of  the  past  to  the  present  generation  was  the  motive  which  primarily  sug- 
gested the  writing  of  this  book.  Incidentally  I felt  that  even  a modest 
attempt  to  preserve  some  of  the  unwritten  professional  records  of  the  past, 
and  m this  way  arouse  additional  interest  in  the  medical  history  of  this 
country,  would  be  a sufficiently  worthy  motive  to  justify  the  appearance 
of  a new  book  and  apologize  for  any  shortcomings  of  the  latter.  The 
life  work  of  Drake  and  the  immediate  and  remote  effects  of  his  labors  on  the 
evolution  of  medical  practice  and  education  in  this  part  of  the  country  are 
not  unworthy  of  being  placed  beside  those  of  the  immortal  Rush.  The  latter 
was  not  a greater  man  in  the  East  than  Drake  was  in  the  West.  We  are 
no  longer  in  the  stage  of  transition  from  primitive  conditions  of  existence 
to  more  settled  modes  oPlife.  The  time  has  come  when  the  people  of  the 
Middle  West  can  retrospectively  contemplate  the  records  of  their  past,  and 
experience  the  thrill  of  inspiration  which  must  be  communicated  to  their 
inner  consciousness  by  the  knowledge  of  a history,  a tradition,  a raison  d'etre, 
distinctly  Western  in  character  and  inseparable  from  Western  people  and 
Western  soil.  Therein  lies  Drake’s  claim  to  the  gratitude  of  posterity 
because  he  was  one  of  the  great  standard  bearers  of  civilization  in  this 
Western  country. 

The  present  volume  includes  the  records  of  those  who  continued  the 
work  left  by  Drake.  Among  these  followers  of  Drake  were  some  whose 
labors  form  a part  of  medical  history,  while  others  might  be  charitably 
interred  in  the  grave  of  oblivion.  Yet  their  records,  collectively,  add  an 
interesting  page  to  the  history  of  American  medicine,  not  without  significant 
lessons  to  the  present  and  future.  These  lessons  might  prove  a source 
of  solace  to  some,  while  there  is  hardly  any  one  who  can  not  discern  some 
meaning  in  and  derive  some  instruction  from  the  story  of  the  eternal  mutation 
of  things,  as  exemplified  in  the  happenings  of  a hundred  years  in  and  near 
the  old  town  which  Daniel  Drake  loved  so  much  and  so  loyally. 


lit  t 


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874546 


For  valuable  assistance  in  obtaining  material,  I am  indebted  to  Mr.  Albert 
H.  Morrill,  of  Cincinnati,  a great-grandson  of  Daniel  Drake,  and  to  many 
members  of  the  profession,  particularly  Dr.  Frederick  P.  Henry,  Honorary 
Librarian  of  the  College  of  Physicians  (Philadelphia)  ; Dr.  A.  G.  Drury,  Dr. 
P.  S.  Conner,  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Taylor,  Dr.  Edwin  Landy,  Dr.  H.  W.  Felter,  Dr. 
S.  R.  Geiser,  Dr.  R.  C.  Stockton  Reed,  Dr.  E.  S.  McKee,  Dr.  H.  Dieckmeyer 
and  Dr.  Thos.  C.  Minor,  of  Cincinnati.  Acknowledgments  -are  due  Mr.  P. 
Alfred  Marchand,  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  Library,  and  Misses  Laura 
Smith  and  K.  W.  Sherwood,  of  the  Cincinnati  Public  Library,  for  their 
courtesy  and  never-failing  readiness  to  help  in  research  work;  also  the  Hon. 
M.  E.  Wilson  for  valuable  aid  in  securing  material.  I regret  my  inability 
to  mention  all  those  who  are  entitled  to  some  expression  of  my  gratitude  in 
return  for  assistance  rendered  and  encouragement  given.  That  some  attempts 
were  made 'to  impede  the  progress  of  the  work,  was  not  altogether  unex- 
pected. Some  of  the  persons,  things,  events  and  situations  of  the  recent  past 
have  not  sufficiently  receded  into  the  mist  of  the  distant  past  to  have  entirely 
lost  the  glow  of  life  or  to  have  assumed  the  placid  garb  of  historical  dis- 
interestedness. 

In  the  preparation  of  “Daniel  Drake  and  his  Followers”  much  assistance 
was  given  by  some  of  the  older  physicians  in  the  way  of  oral  information. 
The  gathering  of  the  portraits  involved  a good  deal  of  labor,  but  was  made 
interesting  and  pleasant  by  the  uniform  courtesy  and  willingness  with  which 
people  in  all  parts  of  the  country  aided  the  author  in  this  arduous  and  time- 
robbing task.  Many  of  the  portraits  are  rarities  of  the  greatest  historical 
value.  The  following  bibliographic  references  represent  the  sources  whence 
the  contents  of  this  book  were  largely  drawn : 

1 —  Medical  journals,  especially  those  published  since  1822  in  Cincinnati, 
Lexington  and  Louisville. 

2 —  The  writings  of  Daniel  Drake. 

3 —  The  writings  of  Samuel  D.  Gross,  especially  his  “Autobiography.” 

4 —  Cist’s  “Cincinnati.”  1841.  1851.  1859, 

5 —  Ford’s  “Cincinnati.”  1881. 

6 —  Nelson’s  “Cincinnati.”  1896. 

7 —  '“Centennial  History  of  Cincinnati,”  by  C.  T.  Greve,  a work  upon 
which  too  much  praise  can  not  be  bestowed.  It  is  a veritable  mine  of  informa- 
tion. It  contains  a valuable  chapter  on  “Medical  Cincinnati  ” by  Dr.  A.  1. 
Carson. 

8 —  Controversial  pamphlets  written  at  various  times  by  different  indi- 
viduals, especially  D.  Drake,  A.  Goldsmith,  J.  C.  Cross,  J.  F.  Henry,  J.  L. 
Vattier,  M.  B.  Wright,  G.  Blackman,  J.  A.  Thacker,  etc.,  etc 

9 —  The  transactions  of  various  State  Societies. 

10 —  Annual  Catalogues  and  Announcements  of  medical  schools. 

11 —  Annual  Reports  of  Colleges,  Hospitals  and  other  public  institutions. 

12 —  Books  of  medical  biography,  by  Williams,  Atkinson,  Gross,  Stone, 
and  others. 


13 —  Mumford’s  “Medicine  in  America.” 

14 —  Biographical  sketches  written  by  M.  B.  Wright,  T.  C.  Minor,  A.  G. 
Drury  and  others.  These  sketches  have  appeared  in  different  journals  at 
various  times. 

15 —  The  “Index  Medicus”  and  the  “Index  Catalogue  of  the  Surgeon 
General’s  Office,”  two  monumental  works  which  do  not  seem  to  be  known 
and  appreciated  by  the  profession,  as  they  deserve  to  be. 

16 —  Writings  of  Edward  D.  Mansfield,  especially  his  “Personal  Rem- 
iniscences” and  “Memoirs  of  D.  Drake.” 

IT — Howe’s  Historical  Recollections  of  Ohio. 

18 —  Archives  of  the  Ohio  Historical  Society. 

19 —  Archives  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  Library. 

20 —  The  Mussey  Collection  of  Medical  Books  (Cincinnati  Public  Li- 
brary). 

21 —  Felter’s  Plistory  of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute. 

22 —  King’s  History  of  Homeopathy. 

23 —  Archives  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Physicians. 

24 —  Archives  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society. 

25 —  Wilder’s  History  of  Medicine. 

26 —  Archives  of  the  German  Literary  Club,  Cincinnati. 

27 —  “Der  Deutsche  Pionier”  (monthly),  Cincinnati. 

28 —  Files  of  daily  papers,  published  in  Cincinnati,  especially  from  1800 
to  1850. 

29 —  Transactions  of  the  Alumnal  Associations  of  the  Ohio  and  Miami 
Medical  Colleges,  Cincinnati. 

30 —  Medical  Directories. 

Otto  Juettner. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

On  the  Ninetieth  Birthday  of  the 

Medical  College  of  Ohio,  January  iQog. 


CHAPTER  I. 


DANIEL  DRAKE’S  CHILDHOOD. 

Childhood  shows  the  man, 

As  morning  shows  the  day. — Milton. 

The  story  of  the  early  advancement  of  medical  learning  and  practice  on 
our  Eastern  seaboard  is  interwoven  with  the  names  and  labors  of  quite 
a few  sturdy  pioneers  and  men  of  genius.  Benjamin  Rush,  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  a leader  of  men,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  medical  teachers  the  world  has  ever  seen ; Eli juh  H.  Smith,  a medical 
philosopher  and  humanitarian  of  rare  attainments;  David  Hosack,  a surgical 
genius  and  scholarly  exponent  of  surgical  science;  Jacob  Bigelow,  that  versatile 
educator  and  scientist;  Nathan  Smith,  whom  S.  D.  Gross  calls  the  best  all- 
around  American  physician  of  his  time,  and  many  other  men  of  similar  caliber, 
were  blazing  the  paths  of  progress  on  behalf  of  medical  science  and  of  medical 
men  in  New  England  and  throughout  the  Eastern  parts  of  our  country.  The 
labors  of  these  men  were  performed  under  comparatively  favorable  conditions. 
The  East,  socially  and  educationally,  had  already  achieved  a relatively  high 
degree  of  development  at  that  time.  The  opportunities  for  study  and  for  the 
acquisition  of  an  academic  education  were  plentiful  and  quite  equal  to  the 
European  standard.  Thus  the  early  Eastern  physicians,  at  least  those  who 
took  a leading  part  in  the  development  of  American  medicine,  were  educated 
men  and  not  pioneers  or  self-made  men  in  the  crude  sense  of  the  term.  In  the 
West,  however,  where  every  foot  of  ground  was  wrested  from  the  embrace  of 
primitive  nature  and  the  banner  of  civilization  was  planted  and  reared  by  the 
hardened  hands  and  stout  hearts  of  heroic  pioneers  amid  a vast  empire  of  bar- 
barism, conditions  were  decidedly  more  crude  and  rugged,  and  the  men  repre- 
senting the  advance  guard  of  civilization  were  pioneers  in  name  and  in  fact. 
The  men  who  had  come  to  the  West  to  seek  fortune  and  happiness  on  its  virgin 
soil,  disputing  the  problem  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  with  the  wily  and  bel- 
ligerent red  man,  did  not  bring  with  them  a degree  from  Harvard  or  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  or  from  one  of  the  great  seats  of  learning  in  the 
mother  countries  of  Europe.  They  had  nothing  but  the  sweat  of  their  brow 
and  the  products  of  brawn  and  brain  to  depend  on.  It  does  not  seem  strange, 
therefore,  that  the  men  who  developed  any  particular  line  of  human  activity 
in  the  early  history  of  our  country  were  fewer  in  number  in  the  wild 
West  than  they  were  in  the  more  refined  East.  Yet,  there  were  men  of  over- 
towering genius  among  these  Western  pioneers.  Genius  seems  to  thrive  on 


crude  soil  quite  as  well,  if  not  better,  than  on  the  culture-beds  of  civilization. 
Genius  is  an  elementary  force  of  nature,  and  is  instinctively  at  war  with  the 
controlling  and  refining  hand  of  convention  and  tradition. 

In  the  medical  history  of  the  West  one  colossal  figure  looms  up  in  the  very 
foreground.  It  is  of  such  gigantic  proportions  that  all  else  appears  accidental 
and  merely  like  a part  of  the  stage-setting.  Even  when  viewed  through  the 
aisles  of  time  at  a distance  of  many  decades  it  appears  as  large  and  distinct 
as  it  did  when  it  first  emerged  in  the  center  of  the  stage  of  events.  It  is  the 
figure  of  him  who  was  the  Father  of  Western  Medicine,  one  of  the  greatest 
physicians  America  has  produced,  a patriot  of  the  truest  blue,  a nobleman  by 
nature,  a scholar  by  ceaseless  toil,  the  peer  of  any  of  the  Eastern  pioneers  in 
medicine,  the  bearer  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  names  in  the  intellectual 
history  of  our  country — Daniel  Drake. 

A recent  writer,  in  an  accurate  and  very  readable  sketch  of  this  wonderful 
man,  very  aptly  likens  him  to  another  example  of  Western  genius,  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Like  the  great  Chief  Executive,  Drake  began  life  as  the  son  of  an 
uncultured,  hard-working  settler  who  could  not  give  his  son  even  ordinary 
advantages  of  training  and  education.  Yet,  both  these  poor  farmer  boys  rose 
from  their  humble  surroundings  to  positions  of  distinction  and  honor  and 
became  great  in  different  spheres  of  activity.  Daniel  Drake  was  born  on  a 
farm  near  the  present  town  of  Plainfield,  Essex  County,  New  Jersey,  October 
20,  1785.  When  he  was  two  and  a-half  years  old,  his  parents  joined  a party 
of  New  Jersey  farmers  who  were  seeking  new  homes  in  the  Western  country. 
This  was  about  the  time  when  the  first  settlers  were  invading  the  vast  and 
unknown  territory  West  of  the  Alleghenies  and  were  building  the  first  log- 
cabins  at  what  is  now  Marietta,  Ohio.  It  was  fully  two  years  before  a solitary 
block  house  had  arisen  on  the  site  of  Cincinnati.  Daniel  Drake’s  father,  Isaac 
Drake,  with  his  wife  and  children,  located  in  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  twelve 
miles  southwest  of  the  present  town  of  Maysville,  and  about  seventy-five  miles 
from  Lexington.  The  name  of  the  new  settlement  was  Mayslick.  Here  it 
was  where  Daniel  Drake  grew  up  in  the  bosom  of  nature,  the  child  of  simple 
and  pure-minded  countryfolk. 

The  year  of  Drake’s  birth  will  ever  remain  memorable  in  the  annals  of 
American  medicine.  It  was  the  birthyear  of  three  other  Americans  who 
became  leaders  in  their  respective  departments  of  medical  science.  William 
Beaumont,  the  great  physiologist,  whose  name  is  inseparably  connected  with 
the  case  of  Alexis  St.  Martin,  was  born  in  1785  in  Lebanon,  Conn.  He  was 
the  first  American  who  seriously  concerned  himself  about  physiological  prob- 
lems, and  has  not  inappropriately  been  called  the  Father  of  American  Physi- 
ology. Another  great  American  that  first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  1785  was 
Benjamin  Winslow  Dudley,  whose  achievements  in  genito-urinary  surgery 
under  primitive  conditions  of  practice,  have  hardly  been  surpassed,  even  in 
our  advanced  day.  His  marvelous  record  as  a lithotomist  will  always  remain 
a source  of  pride  to  the  profession  of  this  country.  He  was  a Virginian  by 


8 


birth,  but  spent  nearly  all  of  his  professional  life  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  as  pro- 
fessor of  surgery  in  the  Medical  Department  of  Transylvania  University.  He 
was  fourteen  years  the  junior  of  his  great  neighbor,  Ephraim  MacDowell,  of 
Danville,  Ky.,  whose  name  will  for  all  times  be  linked  with  an  act  of  scientific 
heroism  never  surpassed  in  the  history  of  medicine.  Still  another  famous 
product  of  the  year  1785  was  Valentine  Mott,  that  prince  among  the  early 
American  surgeons,  who,  in  1818,  ligated  the  innominate  artery,  and,  as  a 
result  of  this  bold  stroke,  rose  to  one  of  the  highest  ranks  among  the  sur- 
geons of  his  time.  Thus  we  see  that  the  year  1785  was  particularly  fertile 
in  the  production  of  eminent  medical  talent  in  this  country.  Benjamin  Rush, 
who  had  not  as  yet  reached  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  was  in  1785,  at  the  age 
of  40,  teaching  chemistry  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  P.  S.  Physick, 
John  Hunter’s  favorite  American  pupil,  generally  referred  to  as  the  Patriarch 
of  American  Surgery,  graduated  from  the  academic  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  in  1785.  It  seems  that  the  whole  decade  was  a 
fruitful  one  for  American  medicine.  John  Eberle,  one  of  the  founders  of 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  and  afterwards  a distinguished  teacher  of  practice 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  born  two  years  after  Daniel  Drake.  The 
following  year  (1788)  saw  the  birth  of  William  Gibson,  that  eminent  American 
physician  who  was  a marvel  of  versatility  and  was  conspicuous  on  this  account 
among  his  confreres  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

Daniel  Drake’s  people  were  among  the  poorest  of  the  poor.  When  Isaac 
Drake  and  those  who  depended  on  him,  arrived  in  the  thick  forest  where  he  ~- 
expected  to  wrest  a home  and  an  existence  out  of  the  clenched  hands  of  the 
wilderness,  his  fortune' consisted  of  just  one  dollar,  which  was  at  that  time 
the  price  of  a bushel  of  corn.  Edward  D.  Mansfield,  who  was  a cousin  of 
Daniel  Drake’s  wife  and  for  many  years  an  honored  citizen  of  Cincinnati, 
wrote,  in  1854,  two  years  after  Drake’s  death,  a very  readable  biography  of 
Drake.  In  referring  to  those  primitive  days  in  the  Kentucky  forests  where 
young  Daniel  spent  his  childhood,  Mansfield  states  that  the  first  residence  of 
the  family  was  in  a ‘‘covered  pen,”  built  for  sheep,  on  the  ground  of  its  owner. 
The  smallness  of  his  estate  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact,  that  when  a com- 
pany of  emigrants — five  families — purchased  a tract  of  fourteen  hundred  acres 
of  land,  to  be  divided  among  them,  according  to  their  respective  payments,  his 
share  was  only  thirty-eight  acres,  which  he  subsequently  increased  to  fifty. 
There  he  resided  six  years,  till  in  the  autumn  of  1794,  he  purchased  another 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  to  the  neighborhood  of  which  he  removed.  The 
new  farm  was  an  unbroken  forest  which  had  to  be  cleared,  and  the  log  cabin 
built.  (Mansfield.) 

Of  those  early  pioneer  times  in  Kentucky,  Drake  has  left  a written  record 
so  inimitably  beautiful  and  characteristic  that  I may  be  permitted  to  quote  from 
it.  In  his  declining  years,  from  1840  to  shortly  before  his  death,  Drake,  who 
was  then  living  in  Louisville  and  teaching  at  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute, 
loved  to  dwell  on  the  memories  of  the  distant  past,  and  in  his  reniiniscential 

9 


mood  penned  many  letters  to  his  children.  In  these  letters  he  pictures  the 
conditions  under  which  his  childhood  was  spent,  the  hardships  of  early  pioneer 
times  in  Kentucky,  the  struggles  for  existence,  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
simple.  God-fearing  people  in  whose  midst  he  grew  up,  their  sorrows  and 
innocent  pleasures.  Charles  D.  Drake,  a distinguished  member  of  the  bar  in 
Missouri,  gathered  these  letters  written  by  his  father.  Dr.  Drake,  and  pub- 
lished them  in  1870  under  the  title:  “Pioneer  Life  in  Kentucky.  A series 
of  reminiscential  letters  from  Daniel  Drake,  M.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  to  his  chil- 
dren/' These  letters,  written  in  quaint  and  naive  style,  full  of  pathos  and 
humor,  are  well  worth  perusal. 

Drake  informs  us  that  he  was  the  second  child  of  his  parents,  the  first  one,  a 
daughter,  having  died  in  infancy.  His  father  was  operating  a gristmill  and 
doing  a little  farming  near  Plainfield,  N.  J.  The  Drakes  were  not  doing  very 
well  and  thought  of  moving  to  Virginia,  but  changed  their  minds  in  favor  of 
Kentucky,  where  a colony  of  Baptists,  who  originally  hailed  from  New  Jersey, 
had  settled  and  was  prospering.  About  that  time  many  farmers  from  Virginia 
and  Maryland  were  moving  into  Kentucky  which,  since  its  first  settlement,  in 
1778,  was  attracting  more  attention  than  any  other  part  of  the  Western 
country.  Old  Mr.  Drake  decided  to  begin  life  over  again,  and,  with  all  the 
earthly  belongings  of  the  family  crowded  into  one  two-horse  Jersey  wagon, 
which  also  accommodated  the  family,  started  out  for  his  new  home  in  Ken- 
tucky. The  family  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drake,  young  Daniel,  then  two 
years  and  seven  months  old,  his  little  sister,  who  was  an  infant  at  the  breast, 
and  an  unmarried  sister  of  Mrs.  Drake.  The  wagon  was  hauled  by  two  horses 
over  the  steep  and  rugged  Allegheny  mountains  and  thoughout  an  overland 
journey  of  nearly  four  hundred  miles.  The  remaining  portion  of  the  trip 
was  by  boat.  Among  other  New  Jersey  emigrants  who  came  West  at  the 
time  when  the  Drakes  settled  in  Kentucky,  were  a number  of  people  whose 
names  became  prominently  identified  with  the  history  of  Cincinnati,  particu- 
larly John  S.  Gano,  who  settled  in  Columbia,  now  a suburb  of  Cincinnati,  and 
Dr.  Wm.  Goforth,  Gano’s  brother-in-law,  who  eventually  became  Daniel 
Drake’s  preceptor. 

Daniel  Drake’s  ancestors  had  been  illiterate  farmers,  to  fortune  and  to 
fame  unknown,  but  they  were  industrious,  honest,  temperate  and  pious.  To 
spring  from  such  ancestry,  as  he  often  remarked,  is  high  descent  in  the  sight 
of  heaven,  if  not  in  the  estimation  of  man.  Both  his  grandfathers  had  lived 
in  the  very  midst  of  the  battle  scenes  of  the  Colonies’  struggle  for  freedom. 
Daniel’s  father  and  mother  were  typical  countryfolk,  of  the  plain,  good  old- 
fashioned  Baptist  type.  Drake  speaks  of  his  father  as  a man  of  inflexible 
righteousness,  industrious,  rather  progressive,  not  without  business  ability, 
and  devoted  to  his  family.  The  references  to  his  mother  are  touching  in  the 
extreme.  Drake  speaks  of  her  tenderness  and  sweet  disposition,  the  merry 
twinkle  in  her  eye,  her  unceasing  care  for  her  family.  He  humorously  em- 
phasizes the  fact  that  he  inherited  two  traits  from  his  exemplary  mother: 

10 


the  ease  with  which  he  could  shed  tears  and  the  irresistible  desire  to  fall  asleep 
in  church. 

Daniel’s  childhood  days,  as  already  indicated,  were  spent  in  a log  cabin 
such  as  poor  country  people  used  to  put  up  and  occupy  in  the  early  pioneer 
times  of  Kentucky.  A log  cabin,  as  the  name  implies,  was  “built  of  logs, 
generally  unhewn,  with  a puncheon  floor  below  and  a clapboard  floor  above,  a 
small  square  window  without  glass,  a chimney  of  ‘cats  and  clay,’  and  a 
coarse  roof.  It  consisted  generally  of  one  apartment,  which  served  as  sitting- 
room,  dining-room,  and  kitchen.  Here  the  family  lived  in  peace  and  content- 
ment in  a little  world  of  their  own,  their  only  enemies  being  the  elements  of 
Nature  or  perhaps  the  restless  redskins  that  were  receding  before  the  advance 
of  civilization.”  Drake  often  tenderly  referred  to  the  sweet  and  pure  family 
life  in  that  log  cabin  where  everybody  was  poor  and  yet  happy.  They  knew 
nothing  of  the  hate  and  envy,  the  troubles  and  tribulations  of  society,  the 
miserable  smallness  and  perfidy  of  man  in  the  larger  towns  and  cities.  And 
the  center  of  the  happy  family  in  that  coarse  log  cabin  was  that  personification 
of  goodness  and  sweetness,  Daniel’s  mother,  the  thought  of  whom  seemed  to 
grow  in  inspiration  to  the  son  as  the  years  rolled  on.  Drake’s  example  shows 
the  early  and  lasting  effect  of  the  association  with  a good  mother  on  the  char- 
acter of  a boy.  Granting  that  heredity  and  environment  make  or  break 
character,  it  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  the  early  maternal  influence  represents 
the  lion’s  share  of  what  we  include  in  environment,  because  of  its  early,  deep, 
and,  therefore,  lasting  effect.  That  beautiful  spirit  of  chivalry  towards  women 
and,  for  that  matter,  towards  men  even  if  they  were  enemies,  which  was  so 
characteristic  of  Drake  throughout  his,  whole  life,  was  the  work  of  a good 
mother.  It  seems  that  a boy  who  has  the  good  fortune  of  having  been  reared 
by  the  tender  hand  of  a good  mother,  should  always  be  a good  man,  if  only 
to  pay  back  that  early  incurred  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  memory  of  her  who 
gave  him  life  and  character. 

Daniel  received  his  first  schooling  at  the  hands  of  itinerant  schoolmasters, 
who  would  establish  themselves  in  a conveniently-located  log  cabin  and  teach 
the  children  of  the  nearby  settlers  the  elements  of  reading  and  writing,  with  a 
little  arithmetic  thrown  in.  These  schoolmasters  were  by  no  means  pedagogues 
by  vocation.  They  were  tramps  whose  peripatetic  tendencies  would  awaken 
whenever  the  first  balmy  breezes  of  Spring  made  it  comfortable  to  roam 
through  the  country.  Sometimes  a preacher  without  a flock  would  appear 
among  the  settlers,  remain  for  an  indefinite  period  and  divide  his  time  between 
administering  spiritual  advice  to  the  grown  people  and  teaching  the  young 
folks  how  to  read  and  write.  Young  Daniel  must  have  been  an  apt  scholar, 
because  at  the  age  of  seven  he  was  a pretty  fair  reader.  When  he  was  nine 
years  old,  his  father  moved  to  a larger  place,  and,  being  too  poor  to  hire  a 
laborer  and  not  being  very  robust  himself,  the  father  had  to  depend  on  the 
assistance  which  the  son  might  be  able  to  render.  Young  Daniel  was  a strong 
boy  and  only  too  glad  to  help  his  father.  Instead  of  continuing  his  lessons  he 


11 


had  to  take  a hand  in  clearing  the  forest  and  preparing  a place  for  the  new 
cabin.  Thus  the  next  two  years  were  given  to  hard  labor,  sharing  his  father’s 
work  and  troubles  in  every  particular.  After  two  years  Daniel  was  able  to 
resume  his  studies  under  the  guidance  of  an  itinerant  instructor  who  hailed 
from  Maryland  and  opened  a regular  school  in  the  Mayslick  district.  We  have 
seen  that  Drake’s  early  years  were  spent  in  close  communion  with  Nature. 
To  his  young  and  imaginative  mind  every  little  spot  in  the  landscape  was 
invested  with  peculiar  beauty  and  meaning,  the  song  of  every  little  bird  in 
the  forest  had  its  own  melodious  language.  What  to  an  ordinary  observer 
was  barren  and  unattractive,  was  to  him  a source  of  ineffable  interest  and 
delight,  says  S.  D.  Gross.  “In  the  Spring  and  Summer  the  surface  of  the  earth 
was  carpeted  with  richest  verdure  and  strewn  with  myriads  of  wild  flowers, 
whose  balmy  fragrance  seemed  to  ascend  like  sweet-scented  incense  to  the 
throne  of  the  Almighty,  while  their  gay  raiment  in  its  variety  of  color,  and 
rendered  brighter  and  more  radiant  by  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  delighted 
the  clear  eye  and  unspoilt  heart  of  the  lad.  The  ancient  elms  and  poplars 
and  other  mighty  denizens  of  the  woodland  had  donned  their  richest  garb, 
while  amid  their  majestic  silence  thousands  of  winged  songsters  were  stirring 
the  heart  with  their  tuneful  lays.”  The  impressions  thus  made  on  the  boy’s 
mind  during  the  formative  period  of  his  life,  i.  e.,  his  early  adolescence,  were 
the  elements  out  of  which  the  mind  of  the  future  man  was  constructed.  Drake 
was  an  eminent  naturalist  and  became  a great  physician  because  of  that  fact. 
He  learned  to  love  Nature  early  in  life  and  tried  to  understand  the  things  which 
in  the  days  of  his  childhood  he  had  learnt  to  love.  This  is  what  made  Drake  a 
student  of  Nature,  and  gave  him  such  power  as  a man  of  affairs  in  the  building 
up  of  the  great  West.  With  a keen  and  open  eye  and  a heart  full  of  love 
for  the  beautiful  things  that  abound  in  Nature’s  vast  domain,  he  coupled  an 
inquiring  mind  that  was  not  satisfied  to  wonder  and  marvel,  but  that  approached 
the  problems  and  mysteries  of  the  air,  the  soil,  and  the  water  with  a desire 
and  a determination  to  solve  the  riddles  and  to  know  the  truth.  Thus  we  see 
how  the  foundation  to  Drake’s  subsequent  career  of  greatness  was  laid.  His 
greatest  work  outside  of  his  strictly  medical  achievements  was  undoubtedly 
that  remarkable  book  about  Cincinnati  (“Picture  of  Cincinnati”)  which  he 
published  when  he  was  hardly  thirty  years  of  age.  It  was  the  logical  evolution 
of  the  elements  of  knowledge  and  discerning  power  which  were  brought  out 
in  his  early  training  as  a country  lad  in  old  Kentucky. 

A brother  of  Drake’s  father,  Cornelius  Drake,  had  settled  near  the  place 
where  the  Drakes  were  living.  He  was  a tavern-keeper  and  conducted  a general 
store.  Pie  was  a prosperous  business  man,  and  in  1796  sent  his  son  John,  a 
young  man  probably  six  years  older  than  Daniel,  to  Dr.  Wm.  Goforth,  who 
was  practicing  medicine  in  Washington,  Ky.  Young  John  Drake  remained 
with  Dr.  Goforth  three  years,  continuing  his  studies  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  John  Drake  was  a good  student  and  always  spent  his  vacation 
on  his  father’s  place.  Daniel,  his  cousin,  who  was  then  about  twelve  or  thir- 


12 


teen  years  old,  became  greatly  interested  in  the  books  of  his  cousin  John  and 
made  up  his  mind  to  become  a doctor.  With  that  zeal  and  determination  which 
was  characteristic  of  him,  he  set  about  to  make  up  for  the  defects  in  his  edu- 
cation. He  devoted  every  spare  moment  to  study,  mostly  by  reading  books 
that — in  some  manner  or  other — he  managed  to  secure.  His  father  favored  the 
idea  of  Daniel  becoming  a doctor,  and  encouraged  him  in  every  imaginable 
way.  It  was  intended  that  John  Drake  should  locate  in  Mayslick,  and  that 
Daniel  should  study  under  him.  Unfortunately  for  the  plan,  John  Drake 
died  about  the  time  of  his  graduation.  His  death  was  directly  instrumental 
in  bringing  Daniel  Drake  to  Cincinnati.  Had  John  Drake  lived,  Daniel  would 
have  become  a country  doctor  in  Kentucky,  and  Cincinnati  would  have  lost  the 
pioneer  work  of  its  most  distinguished  citizen. 

The  early  training  of  a mastermind  like  Drake’s  is  of  peculiar  interest. 
It  would  seem  that  all  the  circumstances  surrounding  the  lad  during  the  first 
fifteen  years  of  his  life  were  unfavorable  to  anything  but  the  most  ordinary 
development  of  his  mental  powers.  In  spite  of  this  the  boy  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  a most  extraordinary  intellectual  superstructure.  Drake,  in  the  full 
maturity  of  his  mental  prowess,  was  not  what  is  ordinarily  called  a “bright 
man.”  To  use  such  an  expression  in  connection  with  Drake’s  intellect  would 
be  trivial  and  commonplace;  I am  almost  tempted  to  say  sacrilegious.  Drake 
was  a genius  of  the  first  magnitude  and  ranks  with  Humboldt  and  Agassiz. 
Yet  his  early  advantages  were  meager  in  the  extreme.  But  he  had  that  God- 
given  determination  to  work  and  win.  When  we  think  of  the  carefully  system- 
atized courses  of  study  that  are  nowadays  mapped  out  for  the  college  boys 
who  are  to  be  the  doctors  and  scientists  of  the  future,  and  then  consider  the 
motley  mixture  of  books  that  constituted  old  Isaac  Drake’s  library  and  gave 
to  young  Daniel  all  his  preliminary  education,  we  are  forced  to  acknowledge 
the  supremacy  of  the  will  in  the  struggle  with  Destiny.  Young  Drake  believed 
in  his  own  predestination  as  a superior  man.  His  life  shows  that  confidence 
and  implicit  belief  in  self  is  an  invincible  power  which  in  man’s  fight  against 
Fate  itself  spells  Victory.  This  should  be  an  inspiration  to  many  a poor  boy 
who  is  facing  the  world  with  no  assets  except  his  willingness  to  work  and  his 
determination  to  win.  Drake’s  example  should  encourage  every  struggling  - 
beginner  in  medicine,  and  banish  the  evil  spirits  of  faintness  and  despair  from 
the  youthful  heart. 

Isaac  Drake’s  library  was  neither  large  nor  select.  It  consisted  of  a family 
Bible,  Rippon’s  Hymns,  Watts’  Hymns  for  Children,  the  Pilgrim’s  Progress, 
an  old  Romance  of  the  days  of  Knight  Errantry,  primers,  with  a plate  repre- 
senting John  Rogers  at  the  stake,  spelling  books,  an  arithmetic,  and  an  almanac 
for  the  new  year.  As  he  grew  up,  he  met  with  Guthrie’s  Grammar  of 
Geography,  Entick’s  Dictionary,  Scott’s  Lessons,  Aesop’s  Eables,  the  Life  of 
Eranklin,  and  Lord  Chesterfield’s  Letters  to  his  Son,  the  latter  of  which  he 
greatly  prized.  Once  in  awhile  a number  of  the  Palladium^  a newspaper  pub- 
lished at  Washington,  Ky.,  fell  into  the  boy’s  hands,  always  afifording  him 
much  gratification.  ^3 


Thus  it  will  be  seen,  says  S.  D.  Gross  in  his  beautiful  eulogy  of  Drake, 
that  his  Alma  Mater  was  the  forest,  his  teacher  Nature,  his  classmates  birds, 
squirrels  and  wild  flowers.  Until  the  commencement  of  his  sixteenth  year, 
when  he  left  home  to  study  medicine,  he  had  never  been  beyond  the  confines 
of  the  settlement  at  Mayslick,  and  it  was  not  until  his  twentieth  year,  when 
he  went  to  Philadelphia  to  attend  lectures,  that  he  saw  a large  city.  The 
“Queen  of  the  West,”  as  Cincinnati  was  afterwards  styled,  was  then  a mere 
hamlet,  with  hardly  a few  thousand  inhabitants.  Kentucky,  at  that  early  day, 
had  but  one  University,  and  although  it  was  hardly  fifty  miles  from  his  doors 
(Lexington),  his  father  was  too  poor  to  send  him  thither. 

If  Daniel  Drake’s  mental  education  has  been  meager  and  fragmentary, 
his  heart,  the  legacy  of  a good  ancestry,  had  acquired  the  culture  that  was  so 
characteristic  of  the  mature^  man.  S.  D.  Gross,  who  even  in  Drake’s  life- 
time looked  upon  Drake  as  one  of  the  greatest  men  in  America,  tells  us  that 
at  no  time  in  his  long  and  eventful  life  did  his  sweet,  childlike,  warm  tempera- 
ment show  itself  so  beautifully  as  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  the  old  log 
cabin,  almost  fifty  years  after  he  had  left  it  to  go  to  Cincinnati  to  study  medi- 
cine. “It  was  to  this  spot  that  the  boy,  now  in  the  evening  of  his  full  and 
perfect  manhood,  turns  his  longing  eye,  anxious  once  more  to  behold  the  home 
of  his  early  childhood.  He  stands  before  the  lone  and  primitive  cabin  of  his 
father  in  which  used  to  dwell  all  that  were  near  and  dear  to  him.  The  latch- 
string is  off  the  door;  the  hearth  no  longer  emits  its  accustomed  light  and 
heat;  weeds  and  briars  grow  around  and  obstruct  the  entrance;  no  familiar 
voices  are  heard  to  greet  and  welcome  the  stranger;  all  is  still  and  silent  as 
the  grave  in  God’s  acre  close  by.  The  birds  no  longer  salute  him  with  their 
merry  music;  the  squirrel,  whose  gambols  he  was  wont  to  watch  with  such 
peculiar  fondness  when  a boy,  is  no  longer  there;  even  the  tall  and  weather- 
beaten elm  no  longer  greets  him.  All  around  is  silence  and  desolation.  Upon 
the  ‘door-cheeks’  of  the  cabin  he  discovers  the  initials  of  his  own  name,  which 
he  had  inscribed  there  with  his  rude  penknife  fifty  years  before ! — silent  wit- 
nesses of  the  past,  reluctant  to  be  effaced  by  time.  As  he  looked  around  and 
surveyed  the  changes  which  half  the  century  had  wrought  in  the  landscape 
before  him,  a feeling  of  awe  and  melancholy,  unutterable  and  indescribable, 
seized  his  soul,  and  the  sage  of  three-score  years,  the  medical  philosopher,  the 
acknowledged  head  of  his  profession  in  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi, 
was  instantly  transmuted  into  a boy  of  fifteen.  Every  feeling  was  unmanned, 
and  tears,  warm  and  burning,  gushed  from  the  fountains  of  his  soul.  The 
whole  scene  of  his  childhood  was  vividly  before  him;  the  manly  form  of  his 
father,  the  meek  and  gentle  features  of  his  mother,  the  light  and  sportive 
figures  of  his  brothers  and  sisters,  stood  forth  in  bold  relief,  and  painfully 
reminded  him  of  the  vanity  and  instability  of  all  earthly  things.  Of  the  whole 
family  group,  eight  in  number,  which  was  wont  to  assemble  around  the  bright 
and  burning  hearth,  he  alone  remained  to  visit  that  tenantless  and  desolate 
home  of  his  childhood.” 


14 


CHAPTER  IL 


DRAKE  AS  A MEDICAL  STUDENT. 

Daniel  drake  was  predestined  for  the  medical  profession  by  his 
father.  The  latter,  we  are  told  by  those  who  knew  him,  was 
gentleman  by  nature  and  a Christian  from  convictions  produced  by  a 
simple  and  unaffected  study  of  the  Word  of  God.  His  poverty  he  regretted, 
his  ignorance  he  deplored.  His  natural  instincts  were  to  knowledge,  refine- 
ment, and  honorable  influences  in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  In  consulting  the 
tradition  of  the  family,  he  found  no  higher  condition  than  his  own,  as  their 
lot  in  past  times ; but  he  had  formed  a conception  of  something  more  elevated, 
and  resolved  on  its  attainment, — not  for  himself  and  mother,  nor  for  all  his 
children,  for  either  would  have  been  impossible;  but  for  some  member  of  the 
family.  He  would  make  a beginning;  he  would  set  his  face  towards  the  land 
of  promise,  although,  like  Moses,  he  himself  should  never  enter  it.”  He  had 
never  had  the  advantages  of  a genteel  education,  but  he  was  determined  that 
his  Dan,  as  he  affectionately  called  his  son,  should  have  them.  Daniel  was* 
fifteen  years  old  when  his  father  decided  that  he  was  old  enough  to  begin  his 
medical  studies  in  earnest. 

In  referring  to  the  times  when  the  Drakes  settled  in  Kentucky,  I men- 
tioned the  name  of  Dr.  Wm.  Goforth  as  having  been  one  of  the  party  who 
arrived  in  Kentucky  with  the  Drake  family.  He  also  hailed  from  New  Jersey 
and  settled  in  Washington,  Ky.,  where  he  remained  until  the  year  1799,  when 
he  joined  other  members  of  his  family  who  were  living  in  Columbia,  near 
Cincinnati.  In  1800  he  removed  to  Cincinnati.  Isaac  Drake  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Dr.  Goforth  in  1788  during  their  long  and  tedious  voyage  down 
the  Ohio  River.  Drake,  Sr.,  while  he  found  fault  with  some  weak  points  in 
Dr.  Goforth’s  character,  admired  his  knowledge,  and  believed  him  to  be  a 
great  physician.  Half  jokingly,  half  in  earnest,  he  told  Dr.  Goforth  that 
Daniel,  then  not  quite  three  years  old,  should  some  day  become  a doctor,  and 
that  Dr.  Goforth  should  be  his  teacher.  It  was  probably  in  consequence  of 
this  early  promise  that  the  son  often  went  by  the  sobriquet  of  ‘‘Dr.  Drake” 
long  before  he  knew  anything  about  medicine.  His  father  courageously  per- 
severed in  his  cherished  plan,  and  went  to  Cincinnati  for  the  express  purpose 
of  seeing  Dr.  Goforth  and  arranging  the  terms  of  apprenticeship  for  Daniel. 

When  the  day  arrived  for  Daniel  to  take  his  leave,  his  relatives  and  neigh- 
bors gathered  at  “Uncle  Isaacs”  to  bid  Daniel  /Godspeed.  The  neighbors  all 
liked  Daniel  and  did  not  begrudge  him  his  luck  to  be  a doctor,  a real  gentle- 


15 


man  and  lead  a life  of  ease,  elegance  and  gentility.  This  was  their  idea  of  a 
doctor’s  life.  The  young  maidens  wept  and  old  ladies  were  not  sparing  in 
their  good  advice  to  Daniel.  They  cautioned  him  against  being  too  proud. 
Uncle  Cornelius,  who  had  some  knowledge  of  the  world,  spoke  of  the  bad 

young  men  that  were  rather  plentiful  in  “Cin,”  as  they  called  Cincinnati  in  those 

days.  All  wished  Daniel  success  and  amid  the  good  wishes  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors  he  set  out  on  horseback  for  Fort  Washington  on  the  16th  of  De- 
cember, 1800,  accompanied  by  his  father  and  a neighbor.  As  he  was  slowly 
riding  away,  he  looked  back  and  caught  the  last  greetings  and  words  of  encour- 
agement that  came  out  of  the  heart  and  from  the  lips  of  his  good  mother. 

Two  days  later  the  party  arrived  in  Cincinnati,  and  Daniel  presented  himself 

at  the  house  of  Dr.  Goforth,  his  preceptor.  The  arrangement  which  Isaac 
Drake  had  made  with  Dr.  Goforth,  was  that  Daniel  should  live  in  his  pre- 
ceptor’s family,  and  that  he  should  remain  with  him  four  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  he  was  to  be  transmuted  into  a doctor.  It  was  also  agreed  between  the 
parties  that  he  should  be  sent  to  school  two  quarters,  that  he  might  learn  the 
Latin  language,  which,  up  to  that  time,  he  had  wholly  neglected.  For  his 
services  and  board,  the  preceptor  was  to  receive  $400,  a tolerably  large  sum, 
considering  the  limited  resources  of  Daniel’s  father. 

Dr.  Goforth  was  the  most  prominent  physician  in  Cincinnati,  and,  being 
socially  well  connected,  was  one  of  the  foremost  citizens.  He  was  a unique 
character,  dignified,  aristocratic,  a typical  gentleman  of  colonial  times.  Con- 
sidering all  this,  he  must  have  been  strangely  at  variance  with  the  crude  and 
primitive  conditions  that  characterized  the  early  pioneer  times  in  the  Western 
country  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Daniel  Drake  always 
retained  a lively  and  grateful  recollection  of  his  preceptor,  and  has  given  us 
such  a masterful  sketch  of  him  that  I could  not  do  any  better  than  to  repro- 
duce the  greater  portion  of  it : 

Dr.  William  Goforth,  under  whom  Daniel  Drake  now  began  his  appren- 
ticeship as  a medical  student,  was  born  in  New  York  in  1766.  His  preparatory 
education  was  what  may  be  called  tolerably  good.  His  private  preceptor  was 
Dr.  Joseph  Young,  of  that  city,  a physician  of  some  eminence,  who,  in  the 
year  1800,  published  a small  volume  on  the  universal  diffusion  of  electricity, 
and  its  agency  in  astronomy,  physiology  and  therapeutics,  speculations  which 
his  pupil  cherished  throughout  life.  But  young  Goforth  also  enjoyed  the 
more  substantial  teachings  of  that  distinguished  anatomist  and  surgeon.  Dr. 
Charles  McKnight,  then  a public  lecturer  in  New  York.  In  their  midst,  how- 
ever, A.  D.  1787-88,  he  and  the  other  students  of  the  forming  school  of  that 
city,  were  dispersed  by  a mob,  raised  against  the  cultivation  of  anatomy.  He 
at  once  resolved  to  accompany  his  brother-in-law,  Gen.  John  S.  Gano,  into 
the  West;  and  on  the  10th  of  June,  1788,  landed  at  Maysville,  Ky.,  then 
called  Limestone.  Settling  in  Washington,  four  miles  from  the  river,  then 
in  population  the  second  town  of  Kentucky,  he  soon  acquired  great  popularity, 
and  had  the  chief  business  of  the  county  for  eleven  years.  Fond  of  change, 


16 


he  determined  then  to  leave  it;  and  in  1799  reached  Columbia,  where  his 
father,  Judge  Goforth,  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  distinguished  pioneers  of 
Ohio,  resided.  In  the  Spring  of  the  next  year,  1800,  he  removed  to  Cincin- 
nati, and  occupied  the  Peach-Grove  House  vacated  by  Dr.  Allison’s  removal 
to  the  country.  Bringing  with  him  a high  reputation,  having  an  influential 
family  connection,  and  being  the  successor  of  Dr.  Allison,  he  immediately 
acquired  an  extensive  practice.  But  without  these  advantages  he  would  have 
gotten  business,  for,  on  the  whole,  he  had  the  most  winning  manners  of  any 
physician  in  the  town  and  the  most  of  them.  They  were  all  his  own,  for  in 
deportment  he  was  quite  an  original.  The  painstaking  and  respectful  courtesy 
with  which  he  treated  the  poorest  and  humblest  people  of  the  village,  seemed 
to  secure  their  gratitude ; and  the  more  especially  as  he  dressed  with  precision, 
and  never  left  his  house  in  the  morning  till  his  hair  was  powdered  by  an 
itinerant  barber,  John  Arthurs,  and  his  gold-headed  cane  was  grasped  by  his 
gloved  hand.  His  kindness  of  heart  was  as  much  a part  of  his  nature,  as 
hair-powder  was  of  his  costume ; and  what  might  not  be  given  through  benev- 
olence, could  always  be  extracted  by  flattery,  coupled  with  professions  of* 
friendship,  the  sincerity  of  which  he  never  questioned.  In  conversation  he 
was  precise  yet  fluent,  and  abounded  in  anecdotes  which  he  told  in  a way  that 
others  could  not  imitate.  He  took  a warm  interest  in  the  politics  of  what  was 
then  the  Northwest  Territory,  being  at  all  times  the  advocate  of  popular  rights. 
His  devotion  to  Masonry,  a cherished  institution  of  the  village,  was  such  that 
he  always  embellished  his  signature  with  some  of  its  emblems.  His  hand- 
writing was  peculiar  but  so  remarkably  plain  that  his  poor  patients  felt  flattered 
to  think  that  he  should  have  taken  so  much  pains  in  writing  for  them.  In  this 
part  of  his  character  many  of  us  might  find  a useful  example. 

Dr.  Goforth  is  usually  credited  with  being  the  first  one  in  the  West  who 
practiced  vaccination.  Dr.  Benjamin  Waterhouse,  of  Boston,  received  cow- 
pock  from  England  in  1800.  The  following  year  Dr.  Goforth  obtained  a 
supply  of  it  and  began  to  use  it.  Daniel  Drake  was  the  first  one  who  sub- 
mitted to  vaccination  in  Cincinnati. 

At  the  time  Dr.  Goforth  was  educated  in  New  York,  the  writings  of 
Dr.  Cullen  had  not  superseded  those  of  Boerhaave,  into  whose  system  he  had 
been  inducted.  Yet  the  captivating  volume  of  Brown  had  fallen  into  his  hands, 
and  he  was  so  far  a Brunonian  as  to  cherish  an  exceeding  hostility  to  the 
copious  depleting  practice  of  Dr.  Rush,  which  came  into  vogue  in  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century.  In  fact,  he  would  neither  buy  nor  read  the  writings  of  that 
eminent  man.  Yet  his  practice  was  not  that  of  Brown;  though  it  included 
stimulants  and  excluded  evacuants,  in  many  cases,  in  which  others  might  have 
reversed  those  terms.  In  looking  back  to  its  results,  Drake  said,  that  in  all, 
except  the  most  acute  forms  of  disease,  Goforth’s  success  was  creditable  to 
his  sagacity  and  tact. 

Fond  of  schemes  and  novelties,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1803,  at  a great 
expense,  he  dug  up,  at  Bigbone  Lick,  in  Kentucky,  and  brought  away  the 

17 


largest,  most  diversified,  and  remarkable  mass  of  huge  fossil  bones  that  was 
ever  disinterred  at  one  time  or  place  in  the  United  States;  the  whole  of  which 
he  put  into  the  possession  of  that  swindling  Englishman,  Thomas  Ashe,  alias 
Arville,  who  sold  them  in  Europe  and  embezzled  the  proceeds. 

Dr.  Goforth  was  the  special  patron  of  all  who,  in  the  olden  times,  were 
engaged  in  searching  for  the  precious  metals  in  the  surrounding  wilderness. 
They  brought  their  specimens  of  pyrites  and  blends  to  him,  and  generally  con- 
trived to  quarter  themselves  on  his  family,  while  he  got  the  requisite  analysis 
made  by  some  black-  or  silversmith.  In  these  researches  Blennerism  or  the 
turning  of  the  forked  stick,  held  by  its  prongs,  was  regarded  as  a reliable 
means  of  discovering  the  precious  metals  not  less  than  water.  There  was  also 
in  the  village  a man  by  the  name  of  Hall,  who  possessed  a glass  through  which 
he  could  see  many  thousand  feet  into  the  earth. 

The  clarification  of  ginseng  and  its  shipment  to  China  was,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century,  a popular  scheme,  in  which  Dr.  Goforth  eagerly  partici- 
pated ; but  realized  by  it  much  less  than  those  who  have  since  extracted  from 
that  root  an  infallible  cure  for  tubercular  consumption.  This  failure,  however, 
did  not  cast  him  down ; for  about  the  time  it  occurred,  the  genuine  East  India 
Columbo  root  was  supposed  to  be  discovered  in  our  surrounding  woods ; and 
he  immediately  lent  a hand  to  the  preparation  of  that  article  for  the  market. 
It  turned  out,  however,  to  be  the  Erasera  verticillata,  long  known  to  the  bot- 
anists of  those  days,  and  essentially  distinct  from  the  oriental  bitter. 

While  these  various  projects  were  keeping  the  Doctor’s  imagination  in  a 
state  of  high  and  pleasurable  excitement,  he  became  enamored  with  the  Mad 
River  country,  to  which  in  the  very  infancy  of  its  settlement  he  had  paid  a 
winter  visit.  Beyond  where  Urbana  has  been  since  built,  was  the  Indian  vil- 
lage of  Mechacheck,  at  which  he  arrived  at  night  expecting  to  find  inhabitants. 
He  found  none,  and  being  without  the  means  of  kindling  a fire  and  unable  to 
travel  back  in  the  dark,  he  came  near  perishing  from  the  cold.  Subsequently 
he  made  another  visit  in  the  month  of  June  and  took  Drake  with  him.  It 
required  five  days  to  reach  King’s  Creek,  a few  miles  beyond  the  present 
Urbana,  which  then  had  but  one  house  and  Springfield  another.  The  natural 
scenery  after  passing  the  village  of  Dayton  was  of  such  exquisite  beauty  that 
Dr.  Goforth  was  quite  determined  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  days  there. 

The  time  at  length  arrived  when  young  Cincinnati  was  to  lose  the  most 
popular  and  peculiar  physician  who  had  appeared  in  the  ranks  of  her  infant 
profession,  or  perhaps  ever  belonged  to  it,  and  the  motives  and  manner  of 
the  separation  were  in  keeping  with  his  general  character.  The  Erench  Revo- 
lution of  1789  had  exiled  many  educated  and  accomplished  men  and  women, 
several  of  whom  found  their  way  into  the  new  settlements  of  the  West.  The 
Doctor’s  political  sympathies  were  with  the  Revolutionists,  but  some  of  the 
exiles  reached  the  town  of  Washington,  Ky.,  where  he  resided,  and  their 
manners  and  sufferings  triumphed  over  his  repugnance  to  aristocracy,  till 
pictures  of  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  French  society  began  to  fill  his  imagina- 


18 


tion.  Thus  impressed  he  came  to  Cincinnati,  where  Masonry  soon  made  him 
acquainted  with  an  exiled  lawyer  of  Paris,  who  resided  on  the  corner  of  Walnut 
and  Third  Streets,  where  the  Masonic  Temple  now  stands.  This  gentleman, 
M.  Mennesier,  planted  a large  vineyard,  and  carried  on  a bakery  in  the  lower 
story  of  his  house  while  the  upper  was  the  lodge  of  Nova  Caesarea  Harmony 
No.  2.  The  Doctor’s  association  with  this  member  of  the  beau  monde,  of 
course,  raised  his  admiration  for  Gallic  politeness  still  higher;  and  just  at  the 
time  when  he  began,  in  feeling,  to  prefer  French  to  Anglo-American  society, 
President  Jef¥erson  purchased  Louisiana  from  Bonaparte,  first  consul  of  the 
Republique  Frangaise.  The  enchanting  prairies  of  Mad  River  were  now  for- 
gotten, and  he  began  to  prepare  for  a Southern  migration.  Early  in  the  Spring 


WinniAM  Goforth. 


of  1807,  he  departed  in  a flatboat  for  the  coasts  and  bayous  of  the  lower 
Mississippi,  where  he  was  soon  appointed  a parish  judge,  and  subsequently 
elected  by  the  Creoles  of  Attacapas  to  represent  them  in  forming  the  first 
Constitution  of  the  State  of  Louisiana ; soon  after  which  he  removed  to  New 
Orleans.  During  the  invasion  of  that  city  by  the  British,  he  acted  as  surgeon 
to  one  of  the  regiments  of  Louisiana  Volunteers.  By  this  time  his  taste  for 
French  manners  had  been  satisfied,  and  he  determined  to  return  to  the  city 
which  he  had  left  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  all  his  friends  and  patients. 
On  the  first  of  May,  1816,  he  left  New  Orleans,  with  his  family,  on  a 
keel  boat;  and  on  the  28th  of  the  next  December,  after  a voyage  of  eight 
months,  he  reached  our  landing.  He  immediately  re-acquired  business ; but 
in  the  following  spring  he  perished  from  hepatitis,  contracted  by  his  summer 
sojourn  on  the  river.  (Drake.) 

Under  this  popular,  eccentric  but  well-meaning  medical  gentleman,  Daniel 
Drake  served  his  apprenticeship  in  medicine.  His  duties  were  to  read  Dr. 
Goforth’s  medical  books,  to  compound  medicines  under  his  preceptor’s  direc- 
tions and  to  run  errands  for  the  Doctor.  He  had  to  deliver  medicines  and 


19 


informs  us  in  a delightful  description  of  his  early  student  days  (given  before 
the  Medical  Library  Association  in  1852,  only  a few  months  before  his  death) 
that  in  delivering  medicines  to  his  preceptor’s  patients  he  often  had  to  cover 
considerable  distances,  even  as  far  West  as  the  present  corner  of  Sixth  and 
Vine  Streets.  This  was,  at  that  time,  outside  of  the  town  proper. 

Daniel  Drake  began  his  studies  four  days  after  he  left  home.  “My  first 
assigned  duties,”  he  narrates,  “were  to  read  Quincy’s  dispensatory  and  grind 
quicksilver  into  unguentum  mercuriale ; the  latter  of  which,  from  previous 
practice  on  a Kentucky  handmill,  I found  much  the  easier  of  the  two.  But 
few  of  you  have  seen  the  genuine,  old  doctor’s  shop  of  the  last  century,  or 
regaled  your  olfactory  nerves  in  the  mingled  odors  which,  like  incense  to  the 
God  of  Physic,  rose  from  brown  paper  bundles,  bottles  stopped  with  worm- 
eaten  corks,  and  open  jars  of  ointment,  not  a whit  behind  those  of  the  apoth- 
ecary in  the  days  of  Solomon ; yet  such  a place  is  very  well  for  a student. 
However  idle,  he  will  be  always  absorbing  a little  medicine;  especially  if  he 
sleeps  beneath  the  greasy  counter.  It  was  my  allotted  task  to  commit  to  memory 
Chesselden  on  the  bones,  and  Innes  on  the  muscles,  without  specimens  of  the 
former  or  plates  of  the  latter;  and  afterwards  to  meander  the  currents  of  the 
humoral  pathology  of  Boerhaave  and  Vansweiten;  without  having  studied  the 
chemistry  of  Chaptal,  the  physiology  of  Haller  or  the  materia  medica  of 
Cullen.” 

While  thus  busily  engaged,  he  often  wrote  to  his  parents,  telling  them  of 
his  progress  and  prospects.  From  his  letters  it  would  appear  that  he  seriously 
thought  of  returning  home  after  finishing  his  course  of  study.  With  a happy 
anticipation  he  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  he  could  again  live  in  the 
old  home,  practicing  his  profession  and  comforting  his  parents  in  their  old 
age.  His  life,  while  in  Cincinnati,  was  exemplary  in  every  respect. 

Through  Dr.  Stites,  a bright  young  physician,  who  came  from  New  York 
to  Cincinnati,  and  in  1802  became  Dr.  Goforth’s  partner,  Drake  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  writings  of  Benjamin  Rush,  whom  his  preceptor.  Dr.  Go- 
forth, heartily  despised.  Drake  studied  the  forbidden  books  and  indirectly 
won  Dr.  Goforth  over  to  the  new  teachings  of  Rush.  Dr.  Goforth  thought 
so  much  of  his  talented  pupil  that  in  1804,  when  Drake  was  hardly  nineteen 
years  of  age,  he  made  him  a full-fledged  partner.  Drake  now  assumed  his 
share  in  the  hardships  and  responsibilities  of  practice.  That  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  those  early  days  in  Cincinnati  was  not  an  unalloyed  boon,  would 
appear  from  Drake’s  graphic  description  of  the  hardships  of  practice  in  those 
early  times: 

“Every  physician  was  then  a country  practitioner,  and  often  rode  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  on  bridle  paths  to  some  isolated  cabin.  Occasional  rides  of 
twenty  and  even  thirty  miles  were  performed  on  horseback,  on  roads  which 
no  kind  of  carriage  could  travel  over.  I recollect  that  my  preceptor  started 
early,  in  a freezing  night,  to  visit  a patient  eleven  miles  in  the  country.  The 
road  was  rough,  the  night  dark,  and  the  horse  brought  for  him  not  (as  he 

20 


thought)  g-entle;  whereupon  he  dismounted  after  he  got  out  of  the  village, 
and,  putting  the  bridle  into  the  hands  of  the  messenger,  reached  his  patient 
before  day  on  foot.  The  ordinary  charge  was  twenty-five  cents  a mile,  one- 
half  being  deducted,  and  the  other  being  paid  in  provender  for  his  horse,  or 
produce  for  his  family.  These  pioneers,  moreover,  were  their  own  bleeders 
and  cuppers,  and  practiced  dentistry,  not  less,  certainly,  than  physic,  charged  a 
quarter  of  a dollar  for  extracting  a tooth,  with  an  understood  deduction  if 
two  or  more  were  drawn  at  the  same  time.  In  plugging  teeth,  tinfoil  was 
used  instead  of  gold  leaf,  and  had  the  advantage  of  not  showing  so  con- 
spicuously, Still,  further,  for  the  first  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  every  physician 
was  his  own  apothecary,  and  ordered  little  importations  of  cheap  and  inferior 
medicines  by  the  dry  goods  merchants  once  a year,  taking  care  to  move  in  the 
matter  long  before  they  were  needed.  Mr.  James  Ferguson,  a volunteer  in 
Harmar’s  campaign,  began  mercantile  business  near  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Sycamore  Streets  in  1792.  The  only  road  to  Philadelphia  was  then  through 
Lexington,  Danville  and  Crab  Orchard  to  Cumberland  Gap,  nearly  south, 
across  the  broadest  part  of  Kentucky;  then  northeast,  through  Abington, 
Staunton  and  Winchester,  Virginia,  by  Baltimore,  to  the  city  which  supplied 
us  with  medicines,  not  less  than  every  other  article  of  merchandise.  From 
twenty-five  to  thirty  days  was  the  required  time  of  transportation  from  Phil- 
adelphia to  Brownsville,  and  as  much  more  by  the  river  to  Cincinnati.  Thus, 
from  four  to  five  months  was  required  for  the  importation  of  a medicine, 
which,  at  this  time,  being  ordered  by  telegraph  and  sent  by  express,  may  be 
received  in  two  days,  or  a sixtieth  part  of  the  time.  Thus  science  has  length- 
ened seconds  into  minutes.  The  prices  at  which  these  medicines  were  sold, 
differed  widely  from  those  of  the  present  day.  Thus  an  emetic,  a Dover’s 
powder,  a dose  of  Glauber’s  salt,  or  a night  draught  of  Paregoric  and 
Antimonial  Wine,  haustus  anodynus,  as  it  was  learnedly  called,  was  put  up 
at  twenty-five  cents,  a vermifuge  or  blister  at  fifty,  and  an  ounce  of  Peruvian 
bark  at  seventy-five  for  pale  and  a dollar  for  the  best  red  or  yellow.  On 
the  other  hand  personal  services  were  valued  very  low.  For  bleeding,  twenty- 
five  cents;  for  sitting  up  all  night,  a dollar,  and  for  a visit,  from  twenty-five 
to  fifty  cents,  according  to  the  circumstances  or  character  of  the  patient.” 

“Many  articles  in  common  use  then,  have  in  half  a century  been  super- 
seded or  fallen  more  or  less  into  neglect.  I can  recollect  Balsam  of  Sulphur, 
Balsam  of  Peru,  Balsam  Tolu,  Glauber’s  Salt,  Flowers  of  Benzoin,  Fluxham’s 
Tincture,  Spermaceti  (for  internal  use),  Melampodium,  Flowers  of  Zinc, 
Ammoniaret  of  Copper,  Dragon’s  Blood,  Elemi,  Gamboge,  Bitter  Apple,  Nux 
Vomica,  and  Red,  Pale  and  Yellow  Bark.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have 
gained  since  that  day,  the  various  Salts  of  Quinine  and  Morphine,  Strychnine, 
Creosote,  Iodine  and  its  preparations.  Hydrocyanic  Acid,  Ergot,  Collodion, 
Sulphate  of  Magnesia  and  Chloroform.” 

“Indeed,  in  half  a century  our  materia  medica  has  undergone  a decided 
change,  partly  by  the  discovery  of  new  articles,  and  partly  by  the  extraction 
of  the  active  principles  of  the  old.” 


21 


There  were  several  reasons  that  prompted  young  Drake  to  take  a rather 
gloomy  view  of  his  early  impressions  as  a practitioner  of  medicine.  The 
total  unfitness  of  the  average  physician  for  a business-like  management  of 
his  affairs  seems  to  have  been  as  true  in  the  early  medical  annals  of  Cincin- 
nati as  it  is  to-day.  A good  physician  is  hardly  ever  a good  business  man. 
Another  fact  seems  to  have  been  as  familiar  to  the  physicians  of  early  Cin- 
cinnati, as  it  is  to  the  doctors  of  to-day.  I suppose  it  is  a familiar  phenomenon 
the  world  over.  The  doctor  is  an  angel  of  mercy  when  he  appears  at  the 
bedside  of  his  patient,  ready  and  anxious  to  relieve  suffering  and  dispute 
every  inch  of  ground  in  the  battle  with  death.  After  the  patient  has  recov- 
ered, the  doctor,  with  bill  in  hand  for  services  rendered,  is  quickly  meta- 
morphosed into  a demon  incarnate.  Patients  who  owe  health  and  life  to 
the  skill  and  loyalty  of  the  physician,  seem  to  suffer  from  a sudden  loss  of 
memory.  All  obligations,  all  debts  of  gratitude  are  forgotten.  The  doctor 
can  live  on  the  breezes  of  heaven  and  the  dew  of  the  earth.  Drake,  in  a 
letter  to  his  father  in  1804,  three  months  after  he  had  become  Dr.  Goforth’s 
partner,  speaks  of  the  rapid  increase  in  their  business.  They  enter  from  $3 
to  $6  on  their  books  every  day,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  25  - per  cent  of 
this  will  ever  be  collected.  He  continues  as  follows : 

‘'The  Doctor  trusts  every  one  who  comes,  as  usual.  I can  get  but  a small 
share  in  the  management  of  our  accounts,  or  they  would  be  conducted  more 
to  our  advantage.  I have  not  had  three  dollars  in  money  since  I came  down, 
but  I hope  it  will  be  different  with  me  after  a while.  An  execution  against 
the  doctor,  for  the  medicine  he  got  three  years  since,  was  issued  a few  days 
ago,  and  must  be  levied  and  returned  before  the  next  general  court,  which 
commences  the  first  of  September.  This  execution  has  thrown  us  all  topsy- 
turvy. The  doctor  has  given  his  accounts,  (up  to  the  time  our  partnership 
commenced),  which  amount  to  eight  or  nine  hundred  dollars,  to  the  con- 
stable for  collection.  He  has  done  nothing  yet,  though  he  has  had  them 
nearly  two  months.” 

After  giving  some  other  details,  he  adds:  ‘T  am  heartily  sick  and  tired 
of  living  in  the  midst  of  so  much  difficulty  and  embarrassment;  and  almost 
wish  sometimes  I had  never  engaged  in  partnership  with  him,  for  his  medicine 
is  so  nearly  gone  that  we  can  scarcely  make  out  to  practice,  even  by  buying 
all  we  are  able  to  buy.  In  addition  to  this,  it  gives  me  great  unhappiness  to 
see  him  in  such  deplorable  situation.  I get  but  little  time  to  study  nowadays, 
for  I have  to  act  the  part  of  both  physician  and  student,  and  likewise  assist 
him  every  day  in  settling  his  accounts.”  In  another  letter  to  his  father 
Drake  complains  bitterly  about  his  lack  of  funds  being  in  the  way  of  his 
progress.  He  wants  to  buy  books,  and  has  no  money  to  do  it  with.  Yet  he 
is  determined  not  to  borrow  any  money. 

In  his  letters  to  his  parents  he  frequently  refers  to  the  prominent  people 
he  has  met  and  to  the  many  acts  of  kindness  extended  to  him  by  some  of 
them.  Dr.  Goforth  was  a very  popular  man  among  the  best  people  in  the 


22 


town,  and  introduced  his  young,  bright  and  gentlemanly  associate  to  every- 
body. In  this  way  Drake  became  acquainted  with  such  people  as  Judge  John 
Cleves  Symmes,  the  patentee  and  proprietor  of  the  Miami  Valley;  Lieutenant 
(afterwards  General  and  President)  Wm.  H.  Harrison,  who  had  married  the 
daughter  of  Judge  Symmes;  Mr.  (afterwards  General)  Findley,  Receiver  of 
Public  Moneys;  General  Gano,  long  Clerk  of  the  Courts;  Mr.  (afterwards 
Judge)  Burnet;  Arthur  St.  Clair,  Ethan  Stone,  Nicholas  Longworth,  etc., 
members  of  the  bar;  Drs.  Allison,  Burnet,  Sellmann,  physicians;  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Wallace  and  Kemper,  Presbyterian  clergymen;  Colonel  John  S.  Wal- 
lace, Major  Ziegler;  Messrs.  Baum,  Dugan,  Stanley,  Hunt,  Wade,  Kilgour, 
Spencer,  Symmes,  Yeatman,  Griffin  and  others.  Many  of  these  were  highly 
cultured  gentlemen,  who  had  had  the  advantages  of  an  Eastern  education 
and  European  travel.  All  of  them  were  wide-awake,  public-spirited  citizens 
and  the  intellectual,  political  and  financial  leaders  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
That  Drake  began  at  an  early  age  to  take  an  interest  in  public  affairs  is  evident 
from  the  many  references  in  these  letters  to  political  questions  and  events. 
He  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  in  1804  elected 
President  for  the  second  time. 

His  profession,  of  course,  occupied  the  lion’s  share  of  his  time  and  interest. 
The  writings  of  Benjamin  Rush  had  affected  him  mightily,  and  aroused  in 
him  the  desire  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  attend  the  lectures  of  the  great  men 
who  were  members  of  the  faculty  there,  the  versatile  Rush,  the  renowned 
anatomist  Wistar,  the  learned  chemist  Woodhouse,  the  distinguished  nat- 
uralist Barton,  and  Dr.  Physick,  who  enjoyed  a national  reputation  as  a 
surgeon.  He  stated  his  wishes  to  his  friend  Goforth,  who  rather  favored  the 
plan.  Dr.  Goforth  gave  him  some  money  as  also  did  his  father,  Isaac  Drake, 
and  a friend,  a Mr.  Taylor,  who  thoroughly  approved  of  the  young  man’_s 
ambition  and  offered  to  help  him. 

Dr.  Goforth,  in  the  Summer  of  1805,  presented  young  Drake  with  a 
diploma,  setting  forth  the  young  man’s  zeal  and  ability  in  the  various  branches 
of  medical  practice.  The  diploma  and  its  duplicate  are  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying illustrations,  which  were  made  from  the  still  existing  originals.  Dr. 
Goforth  signed  the  diploma  as  “Surgeon  General  of  the  First  Division  of  the 
Ohio  Militia,”  a position  which  he  really  held,  although  the  responsibility  of 
the  task  was  by  no  means  as  great  as  the  full-sounding  title  would  lead  us  to 
believe.  This  diploma  was  the  first  ever  conferred  on  a Cincinnati  student 
and  the  first  issued  west  of  the  Alleghenies  on  any  student  of  medicine. 
Drake  held  this  diploma  in  high  esteem  and  practiced  by  its  authority.  The 
granting  of  it  was  prompted  by  Dr.  Goforth’s  great  confidence  in  Drake’s 
ability  and  splendid  character.  Equipped  with  his  diploma  and  lots  of  enthu- 
siasm, but  painfully  little  money,  Drake  started  for  Philadelphia,  arriving 
there  November  9,  1805  after  an  irksome  and  tedious  journey.  His  trip  to 
and  stay  in  Philadelphia  were  of  incalculable  benefit  to  him.  He  practiced 
strictest  economy,  attended  lectures,  studied  hard,  gave  but  little  time  to 


23 


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24 


amusement  and  diversion  and  after  about  five  months  returned  to  Cincin- 
nati (April,  1806).  He  had  seen  the  world  and  had  gathered  new  and  diversi- 
fied impressions  in  many  respects.  He  was  a mature  man  when  he  returned 
to  the  office  of  Dr.  Goforth.  The  latter  was  contemplating  a trip  to  New 
Orleans  and  did  not  conceal  the  fact  that  he  might  remain  in  the  South,  if 
things  suited  him.  Drake  did  not  care  to  practice  in  Cincinnati  without 
Goforth  and  went  to  Mayslick  where  his  aging  parents  received  him  with 
open  arms.  He  remained  in  the  old  home  until  April,  1807,  practicing  his 
profession.  He  soon  realized  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  bury  his  enthusiasm 
and  ambition  in  the  little  Kentucky  village.  Dr.  Goforth  wrote  him  to  come 
to  Cincinnati  and  take  charge  of  his  office  during  his  absence.  Drake  could 
not  resist  the  invitation.  He  told  his  parents  to  prepare  to  follow  him  to 
Cincinnati,  and,  having  received  their  promise,  he  returned  to  Cincinnati, 
accompanied  by  his  younger  brother  Benjamin,  whom  he  placed  in  the  care 
of  a private  tutor.  Benjamin  was  a talented  young  man,  who  made  rapid 
progress  and  within  a few  years  rose  to  a position  of  honor  and  influence  in 
the  community.  He  became  a successful  lawyer  and  gained  a reputation  as 
an  original  and  accomplished  litterateur. 

Dr.  Drake  at  once  began  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  soon  acquired  the 
patronage  of  the  best  families  in  the  town.  His  prominence  as  a physician 
was  soon  equaled  by  the  high  place  which  his  indefatigable  work  in  the 
.interests  of  Cincinnati  gained  for  him.  In  1807  he  began  a career  of  un- 
paralleled productiveness  as  a public-spirited  citizen.  Cincinnati,  during  her 
120  years  of  her  existence,  may  have  honored  other  men  more.  She  may 
have  attempted  to  immortalize  some  of  her  sons  by  erecting  monuments  to 
them  or  inscribing  their  names  on  memorial  tablets  on  the  walls  of  public 
buildings.  Cincinnati  may  boast  of  her  Wm.  H.  Harrison,  her  William  Lytle, 
her  Buchanan  Read,  her  Charles  McMicken,  Reuben  Springer  and  others. 
The  most  liberal  of  all  her  benefactors,  the  most  brilliant  of  her  gifted 
sons,  the  one  really  great  man  she  has  produced,  was,  without  condition  or 
reserve,  the  young  man  who,  in  1807,  took  his  place  among  her  people  and 
worked  for  the  greater  honor  and  glory  of  Cincinnati,  as  no  one  has  ever 
done  before  him  or  after.  If  there  are  really  patriots  in  Cincinnati,  they 
should  not  allow  the  blemish  of  ingratitude  to  any  longer  mar  the  record  of 
their  proud  city.  The  history  of  Cincinnati  does  not  offer  a brighter  page 
than  that  which  records  the  achievements  of  Daniel  Drake. 


25 


CHAPTER  III. 


EARLY  MEDICAL  ANNALS  OE  CINCINNATI. 

The  twenty-eig-hth  day  of  December,  1788,  is  generally  conceded  to 
have  been  the  date  of  the  first  settlement  of  Cincinnati.  On  this 
day  Israel  Ludlow,  a surveyor  in  the  employ  of  a New  Jersey  Land 
Company,  landed  at  a point  corresponding  to  the  foot  of  Sycamore  Street  and 
known  in  the  early  times  as  Yeatman’s  Cove.  He  was  accompanied  by  about 
twenty  persons,  who  proceeded  to  erect  three  or  four  log  cabins  and  thus 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  future  Queen  City  of  the  West.  The  land  was 
part  of  600,000  acres  lying  between  the  two  Miamis  and  purchased  from 
Congress  by  John  Cleves  Symmes,  a New  Jersey  Congressman,  who  sold 
parts  of  his  “Miami  Purchase”  to  Benjamin  Stites,  of  Pennsylvania;  Matthias 
Denman,  of  New  Jersey,  and  Col.  Robert  Patterson  and  John  Eilson,  of  Lex- 
ington, Ky.  The  present  site  of  Cincinnati  had  been  visited  in  September, 
1788,  by  Symmes,  Patterson,  Eilson  and  Denman.  Denman  decided  to  lay 
out  a town  at  a point  where  the  old  Indian  warpath  from  the  British  gar- 
rison at  Detroit  touched  the  Ohio  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking- 
River.  Eilson,  who  was  a surveyor  by  profession  and  a schoolmaster  by 
occupation,  invented  a fantastic  name  for  the  future  town : “L-os-anti-ville,” 
or  rather  “ville-anti-os-L,”  the  town  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  a 
polyglot  mixture  of  questionable  composition.  W.  H.  Venable  tells  us  that 

John  Filson  and  companions  bold 
A frontier  village  planned 
In  forest  wild,  on  sloping  hills, 

By  fair  Ohio’s  strand. 

John  Filson  from  three  languages. 

With  pedant  skill  did  frame 
The  novel  word  Losantiville, 

To  be  the  new  town’s  name. 

John  Eilson,  during  this  expedition,  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
Indians ; at  least,  he  was  missed  one  day  and  was  never  found.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  he  was  killed  by  the  savages.  He  was  one  of  the  first  white  men 
who  set  his  foot  on  the  soil  upon  which  subsequently  arose  the  city  of  Cin- 
cinnati. He  gave  the  site  a name  and  was  about  to  lay  off  the  projected 
town  when  his  career  came  to  a sudden  end.  To  the  physicians  of  Cincin- 


26 


nati  the  sad  fate  of  John  Filson  is  of  peculiar  interest.  It  is  not  generally 
known  that  he  had  been  a student  of  medicine  for  over  a year  and  was 
looking  hopefully  into  the  future  when  he  would  be  able  to  quit  teaching  and 
surveying  and  settle  down  as  a physician  in  Lexington.  John  Filson  was, 
therefore,  the  first  medical  man  whose  name  is  associated  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  Cincinnati. 

Within  a month  after  the  first  settlement,  the  survey  of  the  town  from 
the  river  to  Northern  Row  (now  Seventh  Street),  and  from  Eastern  Row 
(now  Broadway)  to  Western  Row  (now  Central  Avenue)  was  completed. 
The  population  of  the  place  consisted  by  this  time  of  eleven  families  and 
twenty-four  unmarried  men.  To  protect  this  little  colony  of  pioneers  against 
the  Indians,  the  Government  of  the  United  States  sent  an  armed  force  from 
Fort  Harmar,  near  Marietta,  Ohio,  to  the  Miami  Country  (the  land  between 
the  Miamis),  in  August,  1789.  This  armed  force,  consisting  of  a battalion 
under  command  of  Major  David  Strong,  arrived  by  the  river,  and  imme- 
diately laid  the  foundation  of  a military  post,  ‘Wort  Washington.”  During 
the  three  campaigns  against  the  Indians  (1790  under  General  Harmar,  1791 
under  General  St.  Clair,  1794  under  General  Wayne),  the  young  village  was  a 
military  station  of  great  importance. 

Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  arrived  at  Fort  WaWington  January  1,  1790.  He 
was  a Scotchman  by  birth,  a graduate  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  where 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine.  Subsequently  • he  continued  his  medical 
studies  in  London  under  Hunter.  A sense  of  adventure  prompted  him  to 
come  to  America,  where  he  served  with  distinction  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  military  order  of  the  Cincin- 
nati and  named  the  village  “Cincinnati,”  abolishing  John  Filson’s  euphonious 
but  badly  coined  “Losantiville.”  Thus  the  village  received  a new  name  from 
the  hands  of  another  man  who  had  been  a medical  student. 

The  owners  of  the  original  town  site  gave  away  lots  to  settlers,  who 
agreed  to  cultivate  the  soil  and  build  a house.  Among  the  first  eighty  settlers 
who  thus  became  landowners  in  Cincinnati,  was  a physician.  Dr.  John  Hole, 
who  can,  therefore  be  considered  the  father  of  the  local  profession.  He  was 
among  the  first  settlers  in  1789.  He  was  a native  of  Virginia  (born  1754) 
and  responded  to  the  first  call  for  troops,  when  the  Colonies’  struggle  for 
freedom  began.  He  was  commissioned  surgeon’s  mate  in  the  Fifth  Penn- 
sylvania Battalion,  commanded  by  Col.  Robert  McGraw,  of  Carlisle,  and 
continued  in  active  service  until  the  end  of  the  war.  He  fought  at  Bunker 
Hill  and  was  present  when  Washington  assumed  command  of  the  army. 
Dr.  Hole  served  on  the  stafif  of  General  Montgomery,  after  whom  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio,  is  named.  He  was  present  at  the  battles  of  Quebec 
and  Montmorency,  afterward  located  in  New  Jersey,  settled  in  Cincinnati 
in  1789  and  began  to  practice.  He  introduced  cow-pox  inoculation  in  Cin- 
cinnati. That  this  pioneer  physician  had,  just  like  his  successors,  his  troubles 
in  collecting  outstanding  accounts,  appears  from  an  advertisement  in  the 


27 


‘‘Sentinel  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,”  wherein  he  announces  that  he  will 
no  longer  grant  indulgence  to  anyone  owing  him  money.  In  1797  he  pur- 
chased 1,440  acres  of  land  on  Silver  Creek,  in  Washington  Township, 
paying  for  it  with  Revolutionary  land  warrants,  built  a cabin  and  removed 
his  family  to  the  new  home  in  the  wilderness.  He  was  a Baptist  in  faith  and 
was  the  first  person  immersed  in  Silver  Creek  the  name  of  which  was,  in 
honor  of  him,  changed  to  Hole’s  Creek,  by  which  it  is  still  known. 

According  to  the  statement  of  Drake,  Doctor  Hole  was  not  a man  of 
much  education  or  social  rank,  but  his  long  and  varied  army  service  would 
certainly  indicate  that  he  was  a competent  practitioner  and  doubtless  the 
equal  of  his  contemporaries  in  medical  and  surgical  skill.  His  energy  is 
fully  attested  by  the  fact  that  in  addition  to  his  professional  duties,  which 
called  him  over  a large  district,  he  found  time  to  build  and  run  sawmills  and 
to  engage  in  the  multiplied  activities  of  a frontier  life. 

At  the  outset  of  the  war  of  1812  he  was  tendered  a position  on  the 
medical  staff  of  the  army,  which  failing  health  compelled  him  to  decline. 
Dr.  Hole  died  January  6,  1813.* 

Two  other  physicians  arrived  in  Cincinnati  within  the  same  year  after 
its  first  settlement.  One  was  William  Burnet,  an  older  brother  of  Judge 
David  Burnet,  who  was  for  several  decades  an  eminent  lawyer  and  citizen 
in  Cincinnati.  William  Burnet  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  was  a graduate 
of  Nassau  Hall,  Princeton.  He  was  a man  of  fine  classical  learning  but 
not  a graduate  in  medicine.  He  served  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War 
as  surgeon’s  mate  and  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1789,  bringing  with  him  books 
and  medicines.  He  divided  his  time  between  Cincinnati  and  North  Bend, 
where  his  friend,  John  Cleves  Symmes,  resided.  He  founded  the  first  Masonic 
Lodge  in  Cincinnati,  obtaining  the  charter  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New 
Jersey.  The  new  lodge  was  called  Nova  Caesarea  No  2,  in  honor  of  its 
New  Jersey  origin.  Doctor  Burnet  returned  to  New  Jersey  within  two  years 
after  his  arrival  here  and  resided  near  Newark,  where  he  died.  He  was  a 
son  of  Dr.  William  Burnet,  Surgeon  General  of  the  Revolutionary  x\rmy  in 
the  Eastern  Department.  When  Doctor  Burnet,  Jr.,  came  West,  he  brought 
with  him  Calvin  Morell,  a brother  Mason,  who  also  hailed  from  N’ew  Jersey. 
Doctor  Morell  did  not  remain  long,  but  joined  the  Shakers,  near  Lebanon, 
Ohio,  and  eventually  died  there.  To  Dr.  Peter  Smith,  who  preached  the 
gospel  and  practiced  medicine  near  Cincinnati  from  1794  to  1804,  reference 
will  be  made  elsewhere. 

The  first  obstetric  event  in  the  young  village,  the  birth  of  David  Cum- 
mins, after  whom  Cumminsville  was  named,  suggests  the  name  of  the  first 
midwife,  Mrs.  McKnight,  of  whom  Daniel  Drake  speaks  with  much  respect. 


* According  to  Ralston  R.  Jones,  of  Cincinnati,  who  has  investigated  the  records  of  those  revolutionary 
soldiers  that  are  buried  in  Hamilton  Co.,  Dr.  John  Hole  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1808.  The  will  of  a John 
Hole  was  probated  in  Cincinnati  Dec.  7,  1808.  It  is  pos.sible  that  there  were  two  revolutionary  soldiers  by 
the  name  of  John  Hole  who  lived  in  Hamilton  Co.  The  name  occurs  frequently  in  the  early  annals  of 
Cincinnati  and  is  variously  spelled  Hole,  Hohl  and  Hoehl. 


28 


The  scene  of  the  interesting  event  was  an  humble  log  cabin  on  Vine  Street 
opposite  the  site  of  the  present  Burnet  House. 

Robert  McClure,  a Pennsylvanian,  in  1792  opened  up  an  office  on  Syca- 
more Street,  between  Third  and  Fourth  Streets,  and  enjoyed  quite  a good 
practice.  Drake  tells  us  that  his  success  was  not  due  to  his  own  excellence 
as  a physician,  but  the  splendid  attributes  of  his  wife,  who  was  popular  with 
people  of  all  classes,  and,  in  this  way,  paved  the  way  for  her  husband,,  “a 
biographical  fact  which  it  may  be  well  for  the  younger  members  of  the 
profession  to  treasure  up.”  In  1801,  Dr.  McClure  left  Cincinnati  and  returned 
to  his  native  place,  Brownsville,  Pa.  The  Sentinel  contained  several 
advertisements  of  fine  bitters  prepared  by  Dr.  McClure.  In  another  ad 
the  doctor  asks  for  the  return  of  empty  bottles  and  for  the  settlement  o'f 
outstanding  accounts. 

John  Cranmer,  according  to  Drake’s  statement,  was  a native  of  Pittsburg. 
Employed  about  the  office  of  Dr.  Bedford,  a distinguished  physician  of  that 
borough,  as  it  then  was,  he  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  symptoms  of 
disease  and  the  properties  and  doses  of  medicines ; the  latter  of  which  he 
kept  in  a table  drawer,  at  his  residence  between  Main  and  Walnut  Streets, 
on  the  north  side  of  Second,  for  some  time  after  his  emigration  in  1798. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  from  this  humble  beginning,  and  without  original 
education,  or  the  study  of  medical  books,  subsequently  he  attained  a position 
of  considerable  personal  and  some  professional  respectability;  supporting  his 
family  by  his  practice  and  continuing  to  advance  in  reputation  up  to  the  time 
of  death,  which  occurred  from  cholera  in  1832. 

Drake  mentions  a Dr.  John  Adams,  from  Massachusetts,  who  remained 
in  Cincinnati  for  a short  time  and  returned  East.  The  physicians  named 
were  all  civilians  who  arrived  in  Cincinnati  previous  to  1800. 

Fort  Washington  was  erected  in  1789  and  demolished  in  1808.  The 
medical  officers  of  the  troops  stationed  there  did  not  confine  their  medical 
services  to  the  soldiers,  but  often  gave  gratuitous  attendance  to  the  people 
of  the  village  and  furnished  medicines  from  the  hospital  chests.  The  sur- 
geons of  Fort  Washington  are,  therefore,  closely  identified  with  the  early 
medical  history  of  Cincinnati.  Two  of  them,  Richard  Allison  and  John 
Sellman,  remained  here,  after  they  left  the  army,  and  rose  to  considerable 
eminence.  The  surgeons  of  Fort  Washington,  as  enumerated  by  Drake, 
were : 

Richard  Allison,  born  near  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  in  1757,  was  not  a graduate 
but  had  served  throughout  the  War  of  the  Revolution  as  a surgeon’s  mate. 
He  re-entered  the  army  and  acted  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon-general  in  the 
campaigns  of  Gens.  Harmar,  St.  Clair  and  Wayne.  For  a short  time  he 
was  stationed  at  Fort  Finney,  opposite  the  city  of  Louisville.  In  one  of  the 
battles  during  St.  Clair’s  campaign,  he  was  greatly  exposed:  for  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  wounded  and  mingle  in  the  fight.  His  horse  received  a 
bullet  in  the  head.  It  remained  imbedded  in  the  skull;  and,  when  riding  him 


29 


through  the  village  in  after  times,  he  would  jocosely  remark,  that  his  horse 
had  more  in  his  head  than  some  doctors  he  had  known.  Whenever  stationed 
here,  he  gave  such  assistance  to  the  people  of  the  village,  as  made  him  a 
general  favorite ; and  after  his  resignation  many  of  them  employed  him,  when 
his  services  were  no  longer  gratuitous.  After  an  honorable  career  as  an 
army  surgeon  he  retired  in  1798  and  built  a house  called  Peach  Grove,  at 
the  present  corner  of  Fourth  and  Lawrence  Streets.  In  1799  he  removed 
to  a farm  on  the  Little  Miami,  where  he  intended  to  indulge  his  taste  for 
agriculture  and  do  a little  speculating  in  real  estate.  In  1805  he  returned 
to  the  city  and  kept  an  office  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  Sycamore 
Streets.  He  died  in  1816,  aged  fifty-nine  years.  He  was  universally  beloved 
on  account  of  his  zeal  and  gentle  manners.  Charlotte  Chambers  Ludlow,  a 
daughter-in-law  of  Israel  Ludlow,  recalling  a severe  spell  of  illness  through 
which  she  had  passed,  refers  to  Dr.  Allison  in  one  of  her  letters : “Dr.  Allison, 
unwearied  in  kindness,  left  me  but  seldom.  One  night  he  had  been  aroused 
from  sleep  by  an  impression  of  my  sudden  danger  and  was  irresistibly 
impelled  at  this  gloomy  hour  to  leave  his  bed  and  ride  five  miles  in  the  dark 
night  over  rough  roads.  By  his  admirable  skill  the  dread  hand  of  death  was 
happily  averted.”  Mrs.  Ludlow  lived  at  that  time  in  Ludlow  Mansion  in 
Cumminsville.  From  all  accounts,  Dr.  Allison  must  have  been  an  exemplary 
man  and  splendid  physician.  He  is  buried  in  the  old  Wesleyan  Cemetery  in 
Cumminsville,  where  his  monuirxent,  with  the  following  inscription,  can  still 
be  seen : “He  was  an  ornament  to  his  profession,  a liberal  benefactor  to  the 
poor  and  a tender  parent  to  the  orphan.  In  his  bounty  the  distressed  found 
relief  and  in  his  generosity  unfortunate  merit  obtained  refuge.  Weed  his 
grave  clean,  ye  men  of  genius,  for  he  was  your  kinsman;  tread  lightly  on  his 
ashes,  ye  men  of  feeling,  for  he  was  your  brother.” 

John  Sellman,  born  in  Annapolis,  IMd.,  in  176-1,  came  from  good  family 
and  received  an  excellent  general  education.  He  entered  the  army  as  a sur- 
geon’s mate  and  arrived  in  Ft.  Washington  with  General  Wayne  in  1793.  He 
resigned  in  1794,  and  took  up  his  residence  on  Front  Street,  between  Syca- 
more Street  and  Broadway.  He  continued  in  practice  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1827.  For  several  years  he  was  surgeon  to  the  Newport  Barracks. 
This  was  many  years  after  he  had  resigned  from  the  army  and  shows  how 
highly  his  skill  was  valued  by  the  Government.  He  was  not  a graduate  in 
medicine,  but  possessed,  in  a high  degree,  a natural  talent  for  the  practice  of 
medicine.  He  took  a great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  profession  and  was 
the  staunch  friend  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  latter  institution,  in 
1826,  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  There 
is  a record  of  an  amusing  trial  as  the  result  of  which  Susie  Newton,  employed 
by  John  Sellman,  was  found  guilty  of  having  stolen  some  scientific  instru- 
ment from  the  doctor.  This  happened  in  1798.  She  stated  in  defense  that 
Sir  Isaac  Newton  was  her  ancestor  and  that  a scientific  turn  of  mind  ran  in 
the  family.  She  simply  could  not  resist  taking  the  instrument.  It  was,  how- 


30 


ever,  found  that  she  had  pawned  the  instrument  and  had  bought  one  gallon 
of  applejack,  for  which  offense  she  was  fined  $33,  and  received  twenty-eight 
lashes  on  her  bare  back  at  the  public  whipping-post  which  was  located  where 
Fifth  and  Main  Streets  intersect. 

John  Carmichael  came  from  New  Jersey  and  was  a surgeon’s  mate  when 
he  arrived  in  Fort  Washington,  1789.  He  remained  in  the  service  until  his 
resignation  in  1802,  steadily  gaining  promotion  by  faithful  attention  to  duty. 
After  the  consummation  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  he  located  in  the  South, 
became  a cotton  planter  and  acquired  great  wealth.  He  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age. 

Joseph  Phillips  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1766,  came  to  Fort  Wash- 
ington in  1793  as  a surgeon’s  mate,  returned  East  in  1795,  retired  in  1802 
with  the  rank  of  surgeon.  He  died  in  1846.  Drake  refers  to  him  as  a physi- 
cian of  great  skill  and  a gentleman  of  culture.  He  was  the  close  friend  of 
Wm.  H.  Harrison,  afterwards  President  of  the  United  States. 

John  Eliott,  a New  Yorker,  served  throughout  the  War  of  Independence 
as  a surgeon’s  mate  and  re-enlisted  in  1785.  He  came  West  with  General 
St.  Clair,  and  was  for  some  time  stationed  at  Eort  Washington.  He  was 
with  Wayne  in  the  campaign  of  1794-95,  which  conquered  from  the  Indians 
the  Greenville  treaty,  brought  peace  and  security  to  the  Middle  West  and 
turned  the  tide  of  immigration  into  the  country  of  the  Miamis.  He  located 
in  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1802.  He  was  a dignified  and  courtly  gentleman,  punc- 
tilious in  dress  and  in  the  observance  of  the  amenities  of  life.  Some  insight 
into  his  character  may  be  gathered  from  the  almost  comical  portrait  drawn 
by  Drake,  who  met  him  in  the  Summer  of  1804,  and  who  speaks  of  him  as 
highly  accomplished  gentleman  in  a purple  silk  coat.”  This  costume,  better 
fitted  for  court  than  cabin,  must  have  contrasted  strangely  with  the  raccoon 
cap,  homespun  wammus,  and  buckskin  breeches  commonly  worn  by  his  asso- 
ciates and  patients.  He  died  in  1809. 

Joseph  Strong  was  a native  of  Connecticut  (born  1769),  a Yale  graduate 
in  the  arts  but  not  a graduate  in  medicine.  He  came  West  with  General 
Wayne  and  saw  much  active  service  during  Wayne’s  Indian  campaign.  He 
returned  East  in  1795,  located  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  became  the  friend 
of  Benjamin  Rush,  and  died  in  1812.  Dr.  Strong  was  a man  of  much  culture, 
a litterateur,  a poet  and  a high-minded  devotee  of  medicine. 

Among  the  officers  stationed  at  Eort  Washington  was  Ensign  Wm.  H. 
Harrison,  born  in  Virginia  in  1773,  who  had  attended  medical  lectures  at  the 
Universities  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  He  entered  the  army  as  an  officer 
of  the  line  instead  of  the  medical  staff.  Drake  tells  us  that  Harrison’s 
medical  knowledge  enabled  him  frequently  to  afford  relief  to  those  who  could 
not,  at  the  moment,  command  the  services  of  a physician,  and  also  inspired 
him  with  an  abiding  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  profession.  This  he  suc- 
cessfully displayed  more  than  twenty-five  years  afterwards,  when  a member 
of  the  Senate  of  Ohio.  The  bill  for  establishing  the  Commercial  Hospital 


31 


and  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Ohio  met  with  much  opposition,  against  which  he  ex- 
erted himself  with  his  usual,  characteristic  energy.  Harrison  afterwards  was 
the  first  President  of  the  First  Board  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  His 
record  as  a statesman  and  as  a soldier  (‘‘Old  Tippecanoe”)  is  part  of  the 
history  of  his  country. 

The  physicians  named  were  the  only  ones  that  arrived  in  Cincinnati  before 
1800.  In  the  first  year  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  medical  profession  of 
the  city  proper  consisted  of  John  Sellman,  John  Cranmer  and  William  Go- 
forth. Of  the  latter  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  speak  in  connection  with 
Drake’s  student  days. 

Cincinnati,  in  1800,  was  a town  of  about  750  inhabitants.  “North  of  the 
Canal,”  Drake  tells  us,  “and  west  of  Western  Row,  there  was  forest,  with 
here  and  there  a cabin  and  a small  clearing,  connected  with  the  village  by  a 
narrow,  winding  road.  South  of  where  the  Commercial  Hospital  now  ad- 
ministers relief  annually,  to  three  times  as  many  people  as  then  composed  the 
population  of  the  town,  there  were  half-cleared  fields,  with  broad  margins 
of  blackberry  vines,  and  I,  with  other  young  persons,  frequently  gathered 
that  delicious  fruit,  at  the  risk  of  being  snake  bitten,  where  the  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral  now  sends  its  spire  into  the  lower  clouds.  Further  south, 
the  ancient  mound,  near  Fifth  Street,  on  which  General  Wayne  planted  his 
sentinels  seven  years  before,  was  overshadowed  with  trees,  which,  together 
with  itself,  should  have  been  preserved ; but  its  dust,  like  that  of  those  who 
then  delighted  to  play  on  its  beautiful  slopes,  has  mingled  with  the  remains 
of  the  unknown  race,  by  whom  it  was  erected.”  Sixth  and  Vine  was  a 
wheat  field.  Seventh  Street  was  the  northern  limit  of  the  town.  Sixth  Street 


had  a few  scattering  houses ; Fifth  not  many  more.  Between  that  and 
Fourth,  there  was  a public  square,  now  built  over.  In  one  corner,  the  north- 
east, stood  the  Court  House,  with  a small  market  place  in  front,  which  nobody 
attended.  In  the  northwest  corner  was  the  jail;  in  the  southwest  the  village 
schoolhouse ; in  the  southeast,  where  a glittering  spire  tells  the  stranger  that 
he  is  approaching  our  city,  stood  the  humble  church  of  the  pioneers,  whose 
bones  lie  mouldering  in  the  center  of  the  square,  then  the  village  cemetery. 
At  the  corner  of  Front  and  Broadway  was  Griffen  Yeatman’s  Hotel  de  Ville, 
the  most  pretentious  tavern  in  the  town.  The  only  brick  house  in  the  town, 
in  1800,  stood  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  Fifth  Streets.  From  a 
line  fifty  feet  north  of  Third  down  to  the  river,  and  from  Broadway  to 
Ludlow  Street,  the  Government  had  its  military  post,  “Fort  Washington,” 
with  its  bastions  and  stockades  skirted  by  the  long  low  sheds  of  the  com- 
missaries, quartermasters  and  military  officials.  The  post-office  was  located 
in  a wooden  shanty  on  Lawrence  Street,  all  the  mail,  which  arrived  once  a 
week  in  a pair  of  saddle  bags,  being  handled  by  the  postmaster  himself. 
A single  house,  built  by  Dr.  Allison,  stood  where  the  Lytle  House  was  after- 
wards erected.  Doctor  Allison’s  house,  surrounded  by  a peach  orchard  and 
generally  known  as  “Peach  Grove,”  was  Doctor  Goforth’s  residence  when 
Drake  became  his  student,  in  1800.  In  1803  Goforth  moved  into  rooms 
which  had  up  to  that  time  been  occupied  by  the  Commander  of  Fort  Wash- 
ington. To  show  thst  even  in  those  early  days  Cincinnati  was  not  altogether  a 
backwoods  town,  but  was  beginning  to  develop  some  of  the  evil,  even  if 
necessary  accoutrements  of  larger  towns,  the  records  tell  us  that  the  first 
shrine  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Venus  Vulgivaga  was  opened  in  1799  by 
Mary  Montague.  She  seems  to  have  counted  among  her  friends  some  of 
the  high  officials  of  the  town,  who  saw  to  it  that  she  was  not  too  seriously 
molested.  In  this  respect  times  have  not  changed  very  materially. 

In  1802  a fourth  member  was  added  to  the  profession,  John  Stites,  of 
New  York,  born  in  1780,  who  possessed  a splendid  literary  education  and 
had  attended  medical  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  without, 
however,  graduating.  He  brought  with  him  medicines,  books,  especially  the 
writings  of  Rush  and  of  his  associates  and  pupils.  Doctor  Stites  became  a 
partner  of  Doctor  Goforth  for  about  a year,  when  he  removed  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  died  of  tuberculosis  in  1807. 

Before  the  first  decade  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  had  been  completed, 
two  more  physicians  arrived  in  Cincinnati,  both  from  Pennsylvania.  John 
Bradburn,  sometimes  referred  to  as  Blackburn,  (born  1778),  came  here  with  a 
body  of  militia,  which  had  been  called  into  the  field  to  ward  off  an  expected 
attack  by  the  Indians.  The  danger  passed  within  two  weeks  and  Blackburn 
located  in  Cincinnati.  He  came  in  1805  and  remained  four  years.  He 
became  a scientific  farmer  in  Kentucky  in  1809,  and  returned  to  Cincinnati 
in  1825,  opening  an  office  on  Sycamore  Street,  above  Third  Street.  He  tired 
of  practice  after  two  or  three  years,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  lived  on  a 


.33 


farm  in  Indiana.  He  died  about  1835.  He  was  one  of  the  most  scholarly  of 
the  early  physicians,  although  he  had  no  degree  in  medicine. 

Samuel  Ramsey  (born  1781),  arrived  in  1808  and  became  Doctor  Alli- 
son’s partner.  We  shall  refer  to  him  in  a subsequent  chapter.  The  first 
one  of  the  pioneer  doctors  to  die  in  Cincinnati  was  Doctor  Allison,  in  1815. 
He  was  followed  one  year  later  by  Doctor  Goforth. 


34 


CHAPTER  IV. 


DRAKE  AS  A PHYSICIAN  AND  PUBLIC  MAN. 

He  was  a man,  take  him  for  all  in  all, 

. I shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again! 

Shakespeare. 

Drake  began  his  career  as  a citizen  of  Cincinnati  by  giving  the  com- 
munity his  bond  of  good  faith.  He  took  unto  himself  a wife.  The 
bride  of  his  youth  was  Miss  Harriet  Sisson,  niece  of  Col.  Jared 
Mansfield,  Surveyor-General  of  the  United  States,  residing  in  Cincinnati. 
Colonel  Mansfield  had  been  a professor  at  West  Point  and  was  a scholarly 


Ludlow  Mansion. 

man,  whose  scientific  attainments  had  been  recognized  by  the  United  States 
Government  in  the  form  of  the  above  mentional  official  position.  He  resided 
in  the  house  which  Col.  Israel  Ludlow  had  built,  the  place  being  generally 
known  as  Ludlow’s  Station  (adjoining  the  present  Spring  Grove  Cemetery). 
The  house  of  Colonel  Mansfield  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration. 


35 


It  was  known  as  Ludlow  Mansion.  This  historic  house  was  torn  down  in 
1891,  to  make  room  for  improvements  of  various  kinds.  A few  days  before 
the  work  of  destruction  was  begun,  Dr.  H.  W.  Felter,  of  Cincinnati,  had  the 
old  house  photographed.  The  accompanying  illustration  was  made  from  the 
photograph  in  Dr.  Felter’s  possession,  probably  the  only  picture  of  the 
house  extant. 

Colonel  Mansfield  loved  the  society  of  bright  and  refined  young  people, 
and  always  kept  an  open  house.  Among  the  young  men  that  called  at  the 
house  was  Daniel  Drake.  He  met  Miss  Sisson,  the  Colonel’s  niece,  a naive, 
warm-hearted  and  physically  attractive  child  of  Nature,  and  felt  strongly 
drawn  to  her.  Was  she  beautiful?  This  is  what  Drake  said  of  her  when,  in 
1832,  six  years  after  the  hand  of  death  had  made  him  a sorrowing  widower, 
he  thought  back  over  the  early  days  of  courtship : 

Her  modest  eye  of  hazel  hue 
Disclosed,  e’en  to  the  passing  view, 

Truth,  firmness,  feeling,  innocence. 

Bright  thoughts  and  deep  intelligence. 

Her  soul  was  pure  as  Winter’s  snow. 

And  warm  as  Summer’s  sunniest  glow. 

When  moving  through  the  mingled  crowd, 

Her  lofty  bearing  spoke  her  proud. 

But  when  her  kindling  spirit  breathed 
On  those  she  loved,  on  those  who  grieved, 

Joy  felt  the  quickened  pulses  leap 
And  sorrow  e’en  forgot  to  weep. 

The  shady  lanes  that  led  down  to  the  lofty  sycamores  on  the  banks  of 
Mill  Creek  did  the  rest.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Drake  went  to  housekeeping  in  the 
Fall  of  1807  in  a two-story  frame  house  on  the  east  side  of  Sycamore  Street, 
between  Third  and  Fourth  Streets.  Drake  had  built  up  a practice  of  re.spec- 
table  proportions  which  was  becoming  more  extensive  all  the  time.  The 
world  smiled  upon  him.  The  little  home,  in  which  he  and  his  Harriet  lived, 
was  a paradise  of  happiness.  The  young  wife,  possessed  of  much  feminine 
tact  and  an  instinctive  estimation  of  her  husband’s  brilliant  gifts,  was  a 
splendid  helpmate  and  companion  for  him.  Their  tastes  were  congenial,  and 
made  doubly  so  by  the  strongest  kind  of  devotion  to  each  other.  They  were 
lovers,  even  more  ardent  after  than  before  their  marriage.  Together  they 
wandered  along  the  banks  of  the  Little  Miami  or  through  the  woodland 
that  skirted  the  northern  parts  of  the  city  (the  present  suburbs  of  Avondale 
and  Walnut  Hills),  whenever  there  was  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  a surcease 
from  the  drudgery  of  practice.  He  indulged  his  love  of  Nature  to  the 
fullest  extent.  Everywhere  he  found  objects  of  interest  that  furnished  new 
food  for  reflection  and  investigation.  The  topography  of  the  country,  its 
meteorological  and  climatic  conditions,  its  plant  life  and  geological  forma- 


36 


tions  were  carefully  noted  and  studied.  In  1810  Drake  published  a booklet 
setting  forth  the  results  of  his  observations,  under  the  title  of  “Notices  of 
Cincinnati,  its  Topography,  Climate  and  Diseases.”  He  continued  to  study 
and  observe,  and,  after  five'  years,  brought  out  that  remarkable  book  about 
Cincinnati,  which  by  many  is  considered  the  greatest  achievement  of  his 
life.  He  was  at  that  time  thirty  years  of  age.  The  full  name  of  this  book 
was  “Natural  and  Statistical  View  or  Picture  of  Cincinnati  and  the  Miami 
Country,  illustrated  by  maps.  With  an  appendix  containing  observations  on 
the  late  earthquakes,  the  aurora  borealis  and  southwest  wind.”  It  was  the 
first  book  written  by  a Cincinnatian,  and  even  today  impresses  one  as  a 
marvel  of  originality  and  thoroughness.  Strangely  enough,  the  people  of 
Cincinnati  did  not  seem  to  realize  that  a prophet  had  arisen  among  them. 
Many  shrugged  their  shoulders  and  a few  of  Drake’s  colleagues  even  ridiculed 
the  book  and  its  author.  The  worm  of  envy  seems  to  have  gnawed  as  busily 
at  the  hearts  of  some  physicians  at  that  time  as  it  does  to-day.  I can  under- 
stand the  application  of  a law  of  compensation  in  the  active  rivalry  of  men 
who  try  to  outdo  each  other  in  physical  or  mental  achievements.  I have, 
however,  never  been  able  to  see  Nature’s  positive,  or  even  negative,  inten- 
tions in  the  activity  of  the  small  mind  that  hates  the  superior  mind  for  no 
reason  in  the  world  except  because  of  its  superiority.  It  seems  like  a satire 
on  the  eternal  fitness  of  things,  that  the  small  mind  is  nowhere  as  busy  in 
its  activity,  and  numerically  as  strongly  represented  as  in  the  professions, 
including  medicine.  This  is  strange  because  the  professional  ideal  in  medicine 
should  be  altruism,  pure  and  simple. 

Drake’s  “Picture  of  Cincinnati”  excited  a great  deal  of  interest  in  the 
East,  and  even  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  where  parts  of  the  book  were 
translated  for  the  benefit  of  people  who  contemplated  emigrating  to  America. 
The  book  was  a tremendously  efifective  advertisement  for  Cincinnati,  and 
Drake  became  a famous  author  through  it.  It  is  a duodecimo  volume  of  250 
pages  and  is  dedicated  “with  sentiments  of  true  and  respectful  attachment” 
to  Colonel  Mansfield.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  this  remarkable  work  was 
written  by  the  foremost  physician  and  most  illustrious  citizen  Cincinnati 
has  ever  produced,  it  should  always  be  a source  of  pride  and  inspiration  to 
the  members  of  our  profession.  A synopsis  of  Drake’s  “Picture  of  Cincin- 
nati” should  be  properly  included  in  any  book  that  attempts  to  record  the 
achievements  and  labors  of  the  profession  of  Cincinnati. 

Drake’s  “Picture  of  Cincinnati”  contains  seven  chapters  and  an  ap- 
pendix. 

In  the  ^irst  chapter  Drake  gives  the  geography  of  the  Ohio  River,  and 
of  the  State  of  Ohio,  particularly  of  its  southwestern  portion,  a historical 
account  of  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  the  Western  country,  a discussion 
of  the  question  of  jurisdiction  and  right  of  soil,  statistical  tables  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  Western  States,  with  special  reference  to  Ohio;  a description, 
geographic  and  statistical,  of  the  Little  Miami  River,  the  counties  in  the 


37 


Miami  Country,  (Hamilton,  Clermont,  Warren,  Butler,  Preble,  Montgomery, 
Green,  Clinton,  Champaign,  Miami,  and  Darke),  a record  of  land  titles  granted 
by  the  United  States  Government;  prices  of  land,  and  an  account  of  thb 
agricultural  possibilities  of  the  land  (farm  products  of  all  kinds).  A short 
account  of  the  neighboring  country  (Indiana  territory  and  adjoining  parts  of 
Kentucky)  close  the  first  chapter. 

In  the  second  chapter,  Drake  takes  up  questions  of  physical  topography  of 
Cincinnati  and  surrounding  country,  position,  aspect  and  elevation  of  the 
soil,  the  geology  of  Southwestern  Ohio,  its  botany  with  complete  tables  of 
genera  and  species  of  trees  and  shrubs.  He  gives  a complete  list  of  plants 
useful  in  medicine  and  the  arts,  giving  scientific  and  popular  names,  the 
officinal  value  and  classification  of  the  different  plants,  a calendar  of  the 
Flora  with  dates  of  budding,  blooming  and  ripening  of  fruit-bearing  trees 
and  shrubs.  In  his  discussion  of  the  climate  he  gives  details  and  comparative 
tables  of  the  temperature,  the  winds,  the  weather,  the  storms,  and  concludes 
the  chapter  with  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  meteorological  differences  between 
the  interior  and  the  Atlantic  States. 

In  the  third  chapter  Drake  discusses  what  he  calls  the  civil  topography 
of  Cincinnati,  giving  an  account  of  the  early  owners  of  the  land,  the  plan 
of  the  city,  the  value  of  property,  the  gradation  and  draining  of  streets,  a 
description  of  the  principal  buildings,  an  account  of  the  facilities  for  fire 
protection,  of  sources  of  water  supply,  fuel,  markets,  manufactures,  com- 
merce, vessels,  exports,  imports,  banks,  newspapers,  public  utilities  and  edi- 
fices, schools,  including  the  ‘'Cincinnati  University,”  incorporated  1306,  con- 
sisting of  one  building  which  a storm  destroyed  in  1809,  libraries,  churches 
and  religious  institutions.  Masonic  lodge,  and  the  state  of  society  in  general. 

In  the  fourth  chapter  Drake  dilates  upon  the  political  topography  of  the 
Miami  Country,  its  population,  historically  and  racially  considered.  He  dis- 
cusses the  organization  of  the  militia,  the  means  and  provisions  for  supporting 
the  poor,  the  organization  of  the  municipal  government,  administrative  and 
judicial. 

The  fifth  chapter  is  given  to  the  consideration  of  medical  questions,  the 
prevailing  diseases,  their  courses,  the  location  and  character  of  mineral  springs 
near  Cincinnati. 

In  the  sixth  chapter  Drake  gives  an  absorbingly  interesting  account  of  the 
antiquities  of  southwestern  Ohio,  relics  of  prehistoric  times,  mounds,  excava- 
tions, description  of  a mound  at  Third  and  Main  Streets  and  its  contents,  an 
account  of  archseologic  findings. 

In  the  seventh  chapter  Drake  discusses  the  possibilities  of  the  future,  the 
improvements  to  be  made,  bridges,  roads  and  canals.  A prophecy  concerning 
the  future  greatness  of  Cincinnati  and  proofs  supporting  the  claims  con- 
clude this  chapter. 

The  appendix  contains  a chronological  table  and  accurate  description  of 
various  earthquakes  that  visited  Cincinnati,  notably  the  one  that  happened 


38 


December  16,  1811.  Following  the  description  Drake  gives  a scientific  expla- 
nation of  the  ascertainable  physical  conditions  that  are  connected  with  the 
occurrence  of  earthquakes.  In  conclusion,  Drake  discusses  the  physics  and 
the  meteorological  problems  of  aurora  borealis  and  the  southwest  wind. 

The  amount  of  information  contained  in  the  ‘‘Picture  of  Cincinnati”  is 
simply  stupendous.  It  is  a monument  of  Drake’s  indefatigable  zeal  and 
systematic  thoroughness.  The  “Picture  of  Cincinnati”  has  become  a very 
rare  book.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  enterprising  and  patriotic  publisher, 
or  perhaps  the  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio  will  cause  this 
splendid  product  of  Drake’s  genius  to  be  reprjnted  for  the  benefit  of  the 
many  who  are  interested  in  the  early  history  of  our  city  and  the  Western 
country  generally.  Time  and  experience  will  develop  in  the  hearts  of  the 
American  people  that  sense  of  reverential  retrospection  that  strikes  the 
American  traveler  in  Europe  with  such  force.  The  record  of  the  past  is 
the  soil  upon  which  patriotism  grows.  We  should  teach  the  younger  gen- 
eration to  have  respect  for  and  love  the  achievements  of  the  distant  past. 
After  all,  it  is  the  morality  of  the  past  that  gives  us  the  ethics  of  the  present. 

‘'Die  Weltgeschichte  ist  das  WeltgerichtD 

The  year  1809  was  one  of  trials  and  sorrows  for  Drake  and  his  devoted 
wife.  Drake  suffered  an  attack  of  what  must  have  been  pneumonia,  and 
barely  escaped  with  his  life.  Dr.  Richard  Allison  attended  him,  and,  in 
keeping  with  the  medical  practice  of  the  day,  bled  him  very  liberally.  This 
was  in  the  early  part  of  the  year.  Shortly  before  he  had  taken  sick,  a little 
daughter  put  in  an  appearance  at  the  Drake  home.  The  little  one  was  about 
one  year  old  when  she  had  an  attack  of  croup  and  died  suddenly.  Drake, 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  experienced  the  meaning  of  intense  sorrow. 
His  reference  to  the  little  one’s  death  in  a letter  to  his  father  is  pathetic  in 
the  extreme.  To  forget  his  grief,  he  spent  much  time  under  the  canopy  of 
heaven,  accompanied  by  her,  whom  he  calls  “the  sweetest  and  most  affec- 
tionate of  wives,  and  the  most  tender  and  now  the  most  desolate  of  mothers.” 
Drake  worked  hard  on  his  “Picture  of  Cincinnati,”  which  finally  appeared 
in  1815.  It  was  the  means  of  lulling  his  aching  heart  to  sleep,  and  inci- 
dently  laid  the  foundation  to  his  future  greatness. 

Mansfield,  in  his  biographical  sketch  of  Drake,  refers  to  a case  of  nervous 
(typhoid?)  fever,  in  which  Drake,  in  1812,  employed  applications  of  cold 
water  and  cured  his  patient.  Drake  had  become  acquainted  with  the  writings 
of  Hu f eland,  author  of  the  once  famous  “Macrobiotik,”  who  was  a great 
hydro-therapeutist.  Drake’s  case  was  a very  severe  one,  and  an  old  prac- 
titioner was  called  to  see  the  case  with  Drake  in  consultation.  He  approved 
of  the  cold  water  applications,  but  suggested  to  discontinue  them,  because 
they  were  not  generally  accepted  by  the  profession,  and  might,  in  the  event 
of  the  patient’s  death,  occasion  much  adverse  criticism.  Drake  continued 
them  in  spite  of  the  old  doctor’s  well-meant  advice,  and  had  the  satisfac- 


.39 


tion  of  restoring  his  patient.  The  incident  throws  a characteristic  light  on 
Drake’s  temperament.  Drake  was  not  a moral  coward.  He  cared  nothing 
about  the  opinions  of  people,  as  long  as  his  mind  was  satisfied  and  his 
conscience  easy.  How  much  purer  the  moral  atmosphere  of  our  profession 
would  be,  if  moral  courage  were  not  such  a rarity.  The  average  man  will 
bow  to  custom,  tradition,  convention  or  to  the  opinions  of  those  in  authority. 
This  holds  good  in  social  matters,  in  professional  afifairs  and  even  in  ques- 
tions of  science.  It  is,  indeed,  strange  that  in  a profession  whose  raison 
d'etre  is  truth  itself,  there  should  be  even  one  who  is  afraid  of  the  truth. 


The  First  Soda  Fountain  (1816) 


Drake,  about  the  time  when  his  “Picture  of  Cincinnati”  was  published, 
was  a very  much  occupied  man.  In  addition  to  his  practice,  he  was  busily 
engaged  in  his  studies  and  in  various  enterprises  of  a commercial  character. 
He  had  saved  quite  a little  money  and  invested  a part  of  it  in  a house  which 
he  was  building  on  Third  Street,  near  the  corner  of  Ludlow  Street,  on  the 
site  of  the  building  still  known  as  the  Drake  House.  The  latter  is  on  the 
lower  side  of  Third  Street,  the  second  house  from  the  southwest  corner  of 
Ludlow  and  Third  Streets.  Further  west  from  the  present  Drake  House,  is 
the  Mansfield  House,  built  in  1827  by  Colonel  Mansfield,  uncle  of  Mrs. 
Drake. 

In  1813  Drake  became  the  owner  of  a drug  store  on  Main  Street,  between 
Second  and  Third  Streets,  which  he  conducted  with  the  assistance  of  his 
brother  Benjamin.  It  was  principally  a drug  store,  but  soon  became  a gen- 


40 


eral  store,  where  even  hardware  and  groceries  were  sold.  In  this  store, 
Drake,  after  his  return  from  Philadelphia  (1816),  fitted  up  what  might  be 
properly  considered  the  first  soda  fountain  in  Cincinnati.  He  purchased  the 
apparatus  in  Philadelphia  and  introduced  soda  water  as  a beverage  to  the 
people  of  Cincinnati.  The  accompanying  illustration  shows  the  first  soda 
fountain  in  Cincinnati.  It  is  reproduced  from  an  old  wood-cut. 

Intellectual  and  artistic' pursuits  of  various  kinds  had  at  that  time  many 
ardent  devotees  in  the  rapidly  developing*  community.  With  all  these  various 
enterprises  Dr.  Drake  was  prominently  identified.  In  some  of  them  he  was 
the  central  figure  and  moving  spirit.  In  1815  the  Lancaster  Seminary  was 
incorporated,  and  Drake  became  one  of  the  trustees.  It  derived  its  name 
from  Joseph  Lancaster,  a Scotchman,  who  originated  a peculiar  educational 
system  known  as  the  Lancasterian  method  of  teaching.  The  principle  of  the 
system  was  the  training  of  the  younger  pupils  by  placing  them  under  the 
instruction  of  the  more  advanced  students,  who  thus  became  the  teachers 
of  the  younger  pupils.  Drake  took  a great  interest  in  and  devoted  much 
time  to  the  new  institution.  In  a few  years  it  grew  into  the  so-called  Cin- 
cinnati College,  whose  medical  department,  organized  by  Drake  in  1835, 
had  the  most  brilliant  faculty  that  has  ever  been  assembled  in  the  West.  Of 
this  we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  later  on.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  know 
that  the  first  Episcopal  Church  in  Cincinnati  was  founded  at  Drake’s  instiga- 
tion. He  called  a meeting  of  prominent  Episcopalians  at  his  house  and 
organized  a building  committee. 

Drake  devoted  much  time  and  labor  to  the  organization  of  a Library  So- 
ciety, by  means  of  which  he  hoped  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a Public  Library. 
Eor  educational  purposes  he  started  a Debating  Society  and  also  a School  of 
Literature  and  Art,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  the  very  best  talent  and 
most  prominent  people  of  the  town.  It  is  remarkable  how  much  Drake 
accomplished  at  this  time.  He  did  it  by  ceaseless  toil  and  careful  systemati- 
zation of  labor.  Not  every  man  who  works  hard  accomplishes  much. 
Energy  is  often  wasted  by  a lack  of  system.  It  was  the  careful  division  of 
his  time  that  enabled  Drake  to  do  two  men’s  work,  and  yet  find  time  to  meet 
unexpected  requirements. 

In  anticipation  of  a long-cherished  desire  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and 
graduate  in  approved  fashion,  he  had  trained  his  brother  Benjamin  in  the 
management  of  his  commercial  affairs,  and  had  induced  his  parents  to  take 
up  their  permanent  abode  in  Cincinnati.  In  October,  1815,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Drake  set  out  for  Philadelphia,  leaving  their  two  children  in  the  care  of 
the  grandparents.  The  Winter  at  Philadelphia  put  Drake’s  endurance  to  a 
severe  test.  Mrs.  Drake  was  ill  most  of  the  time,  and  one  of  the  children 
that  had  been  left  at  home,  died  suddenly.  Amid  severe  mental  anguish  and 
the  hardest  kind  of  work  he  spent  the  Winter,  and  finally  received  the  coveted 
diploma.  He  resumed  his  practice  in  Cincinnati  in  May,  1816. 


41 


The  following  year  witnessed  the  beginning  of  a financial  stringency 
that  caused  much  hardship  and  depression  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Drake 
became  involved  in  a most  disastrous  manner.  His  store  on  Main  Street 
passed  out  of  his  hands,  and  was  managed  by  his  father  and  brother,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Isaac  Drake  & Co.  He  had  to  save  every  penny  in  order 
not  to  lose  the  house  which  he  had  started  to  build  as  a home  for  himself 
and  his  little  family.  For  economic  reasons  he  moved  into  an  old-fashioned 
log  cabin  situated  on  the  slope  of  the  northern  hills.  The  location  of  this 
cabin  was  near  the  present  Milton  Street,  between  Broadway  and  Sycamore. 
It  was  a typical  country  home,  away  from  the  noise  and  excitement  of  the 
town,  which  at  that  time  extended  northward  not  farther  than  the  present 
Eighth  Street.  Drake  called  his  country  home  semi-ironically  ‘‘Mount  Pov- 
erty.” 

In  1817  a new  epoch  started  in  the  life  of  Daniel  Drake.  He  was  only 
thirty-two  years  of  age.  The  people  of  Cincinnati  respected  him  on  account 
of  his  great  energy  and  learning.  He  was  a successful  practitioner,  en- 
joying a practice  that  yielded  him  an  annual  income  of  approximately  seven 
thousand  dollars.  His  “Picture  of  Cincinnati”  had  made  him  famous 
throughout  the  country.  The  second  chapter  of  it,  containing  a thoroughly 
learned  account  of  the  medical  botany  of  the  Miami  Country,  had  attracted 
universal  attention  among  the  profession.  It  was  this  reputation  as  a med- 
ical botanist  that  opened  up  new  paths  of  labor  for  him,  and  made  it  possible 
for  him  to  begin  that  career  which  was  so  admirably  adapted  to  his  peculiar 
temperament,  the  career  of  a medical  teacher. 

It  seems  appropriate  in  connection  with  Doctor  Drake’s  services  to  the 
community  as  a progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen,  to  point  to  the  part 
he  took  in  designing  and  executing  various  public  improvements.  The  canal 
system  of  the  Middle  West  was  suggested  and  outlined  by  him  in  his  “Pic- 
ture of  Cincinnati.”  He  traced  canal  routes  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Alle- 
gheny River,  between  the  Maumee  and  Great  Miami,  between  the  Chicago 
and  Illinois  Rivers,  between  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  Rivers,  between  the 
Cuyahoga  and  Muskingum  Rivers,  from  the  Great  Miami  to  Cincinnati,  from 
Maumee  Bay  to  Cincinnati.  Many  of  these  routes  were  projected  by  1825, 
when  the  introduction  of  the  steam  car  revealed  new  possibilities  in  the 
interests  of  civilization.  Again,  it  was  Drake  whose  fertile  brain  evolved 
the  plan  of  connecting  Cincinnati  and  Charleston,  the  Middle  West  and  the 
South,  by  a direct  line  of  railroad.  While  his  plans  fell  through  at  the  time, 
mainly  on  account  of  the  attitude  of  the  Kentucky  Legislature,  it  can  not  be 
denied  that  he  gave  the  first  impetus  to  the  building  of  the  Southern  Railway. 

Drake  was  interested  in  all  questions  pertaining  to  the  good  of  his  fellow- 
man,  his  home  town,  the  State.  In  1851,  when  the  slavery  problem  was 
already  worrying  the  people  of  the  North,  or,  for  that  matter,  patriotic 
Americans  everywhere,  he  published  a number  of  letters  which  were  ad- 
dressed to  the  distinguished  Dr.  John  Collins  Warren,  of  Boston,  who  had 


42 


presided  over  a meeting  held  in  Boston,  at  which  the  slavery  question  was 
discussed  in  a patriotic  and  unbiased  way.  When  Drake  read  about  this 
meeting,  he  was  deeply  moved.  No  truer  patriot  ever  breathed  than  he;  no 
American  ever  lived  whose  heart  was  so  full  of  love  for  his  country  than 
Drake’s.  To  his  country’s  interest  he  subordinated  all  minor  considerations 
of  self  and  party.  No  one  knew  the  West  and  South  like  Drake,  who  had 
traversed  both  in  all  directions  for  years  in  the  preparation  of  his  monu- 
mental work  on  the  Diseases  of  the  Interior  Valley  of  North  America. 
Every  student  of  American  history  should  read  Drake’s  letters  on  slavery, 
published  in  the  National  Intelligencer,  April  3,  5 and  7,  1851.  These  letters 
alone  prove  that  Drake  had  the  brain  and  the  heart  of  the  true  statesman. 
He  was  fair,  unbiased,  ready  to  yield  a lesser  point  in  establishing  a greater 
principle,  not  a Yankee,  not  a rebel,  but  a level-headed,  big-hearted  American. 

It  is  refreshing  and  inspiring  to  ponder  over  the  character  of  this  remark- 
able man.  He  was  original,  resourceful,  full  of  energy,  thoroughly  fearless 
and  at  all  times  ready  to  stand  up  and  fight  for  what  he  considered  right. 
These  traits  gained  for  him  the  doubtful  reputation  of  being  “meddlesome” 
and  “quarrelsome.”  He  was  not  meddlesome,  but  full  of  fiery  initiative  in  the 
interests  of  the  public  and  professional  weal.  He  was  not  quarrelsome,  but  a 
courageous  champion  of  his  ideals.  He  was  not  afraid  to  tell  the  truth,  to 
expose  what  should  be  held  up  to  public  view,  to  beard  the  lion  in  his  den. 
Such  men  are  never  popular  with  the  conventional  mollycoddles  of  public 
and  professional  life.  In  Drake’s  time,  and  today,  the  words  of  Robert 
Burns  have  had  and  have  their  significance : 

There’s  none  ever  feared  that  the  truth  should  be  heard 

But  him  zvhom  the  truth  zvoiild  indite. 


43 


CHAPTER  V. 


DRAKE  AS  A AIEDICAL  TEACHER. 

The  man  who  was  instrumental  in  starting  Drake  in  his  career  as  a 
medical  teacher,  was  Benjamin  W.  Dudley,  the  distinguished  sur- 
geon of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  whose  record  as  a lithotomist  forms 
an  interesting  chapter  in  the  history  of  American  surgery.  Dudley  had  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  a medical  school  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  as  a part  of 
Transylvania  University,  at  that  time  a flourishing  literary  institution  in 
Lexington,  and  was  looking  around  for  suitable  material  to  make  up  a fac- 
ulty. He  thought  of  Drake  in  connection  with  the  chair  of  materia  medica, 
and  early  in  1817  invited  him  to  become  a professor  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Transylvania  University.  The  offer  pleased  Drake,  who,  after 
mature  deliberation,  accepted  it,  and  in  the  Fall  of  1817  moved  to  Lexington 
to  assume  charge  of  his  new  post,  leaving  his  office  in  Cincinnati  in  charge 
of  Dr.  Coleman  Rogers.  Thus  he  became  one  of  the  five  members  of  the 
first  faculty  of  the  first  medical  school  in  the  West. 

The  history  of  medical  education  in  the  West  begins  with  the  founding 
of  the  Transylvania  School.  Lexington  had  acquired  the  proud  title  of 
'Athens  of  the  West”  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  -century.  The  town  was 
wide-awake,  had  a progressive  and  prosperous  population  of  over  six  thou- 
sand souls  in  1815,  two  thousand  less  than  Cincinnati,  and  aspired  to  be- 
come the  metropolis  of  the  West.  Its  medical  school,  during  the  third  and 
fourth  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century,  was  largely  attended  and  ranked 
with  the  six  leading  medical  schools  in  the  Lhiited  States.  In  its  palmy  days 
it  far  outclassed  all  the  Western  schools. 

Drake,  zealous,  ambitious  and  scrupulously  conscientious,  made  an  ex- 
cellent impression  as  a medical  teacher  in  Lexington.  Yet,  at  the  end  of 
the  session,  he  decided  to  return  to  Cincinnati,  and  resigned  his  post.  The 
session  must  have  been  too  strenuous  for  him.  There  were  differences  of 
opinion  among  the  professors,  and  the  monotony  of  teaching  was  repeatedly 
interrupted  by  fisticuff  engagements  and  even  a shooting  affray,  in  none  of 
which  Drake,  however,  was  one  of  the  principals.*  He  managed  to  keep 
out  of  trouble,  which,  considering  the  fiery  temper  of  Dudley  who  was  a 
fighting  Southerner,  of  the  revolutionary  type,  was  by  no  means  very  easy. 
Yet  Drake,  who  had  his  family  with  him,  spent  a very  agreeable  winter  in 

*The  story  that  Drake  was  challenged  to  a duel  by  Dudley  and  that,  at  the  critical  moment,  Drake 
refused  to  fight  and  Richardson  took  his  place,  was  invented  by  Alban  Goldsmith,  Drake’s  bitter  enemy. 
It  is  true  that  Richardson  in  the  duel  was  shot  in  the  thigh  and  would  have  bled  to  death  if  Dudley,  his 
antagonist,  had  not  at  once  ligated  his  femoral  artery.  Richardson  and  Dudley  afterward  were  good  friends. 
Drake,  however,  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair  mentioned. 

44 


Lexington.  His  health  had  improved  materially.  Why  he  resigned  is  not 
very  clear.  He  must  have  been  impressed  with  the  fact  that  Lexington  had 
no  future  as  a medical  center,  compared  to  Cincinnati.  In  May,  1818,  he 
was  back  in  his  old  home. 

The  lion  had  tasted  blood.  Drake  had  experienced  the  sensation  of 
teaching  and  lecturing.-  The  idea  of  continuing  this  work  in  Cincinnati  pur- 
sued him  night  and  day.  That  he  thought  of  giving  young  men  a chance  to 
study  under  him,  and  in  this  way  qualify  themselves  for  the  practice  of  med- 
icine, appears  from  the  advertisement  which  was  printed  in  the  Western  Spy, 
July  9,  1817,  three  months  before  Drake  moved  to  Lexington.  In  1817  he 
shared  offices  with  Dr.  Coleman  Rogers,  and  the  following  card  was  pub- 
lished : 

“Drs,  Drake  and  Rogers  having  connected  themselves  in  the  practice  of  the  various 
branches  of  their  profession,  including  operative  surgery,  may  be  consulted  by  persons, 
either  from  town  or  country,  at  their  residence,  on  Ludlow  and  Fifth  Streets,  or  at 
their  common  shop,  lately  occupied  by  the  former.  The  arrangements  they  have  made 
for  the  accommodation  and  instruction  of  medical  students  will  enable  them  to  receive 
any  number  that  may  apply.” 

After  Drake’s  return  from  Lexington  a systematic  course  of  instruction 
for  medical  students  was  planned  by  Drake  and  Rogers.  They  interested 
the  Rev.  Elijah  Slack,  president  of  the  Lancaster  School,  in  their  plan,  and 
issued  the  following  card  in  the  public  prints : 

“The  undersigned  beg  leave  to  inform  those  young  men  of  the  Western  Country, 
who  are  desirous  of  studying  medicine,  that  they  have  made  the  following  preparations 
and  arrangements  for  the  instruction  of  private  students : 

1 —  They  have  collected  an  extensive  medical,  surgical,  and  philosophical  library, 
which  includes  all  the  journals  of  medicine  and  the  physical  sciences  hitherto  pub- 
lished or  now  issuing  in  the  United  States,  with  some  of  the  principal  magazines  of 
Europe. 

2 —  Doctor  Drake  will,  every  Spring  and  Summer,  deliver  a course  of  lectures  on 
botany;  and  every  Winter  another  on  materia  medica  and  the  practice  of  physic;  the 
latter  course  to  be  preceded  by  a series  of  lectures  on  physiology,  and  illustrated  with 
specimens  of  our  native  medicines. 

3 —  Doctor  Rogers  will  in  the  Winter  season  deliver  a course  on  the  principles 
and  practice  of  surgery,  illustrated  with  operations  and  anatomical  demonstrations. 

4 —  ^Doctor  Slack  will,  during  the  same  session,  deliver  a course  on  theoretical  and 
practical  chemistry,  embracing  pharmacy  and  the  analysis  of  animal  and  vegetable 
substances. 

5 —  Doctors  Rogers  and  Drake  will  in  conjunction  deliver  annually  a series  of 
demonstrative  obstetrical  lectures, 

G — They  will  be  able  to  afford  to  all  who  study  with  them  frequent  opportunities 
of  seeing  clinical  practice,  both  in  physic  and  surgery.  The  price  of  tuition,  including 
all  the  lectures,  will  be  fifty  dollars  a year.  Should  any  young  gentlemen  wish  to 
attend  the  lectures  without  becoming  private  pupils,  they  will  be  admitted  to  all  courses 
for  forty  dollars.” 

D.  DRAKE,  M.  D. 

C.  ROGERS,  M.  D;. 

May  27,  1818.  E.  SLACK,  A.  M. 

45 


On  November  10,  1818,  the  first  lecture  was  delivered.  The  session 
closed  March  10,  1819.  Things  evidently  did  not  suit  Drake,  because  on 
April  17,  1819,  he  announced  that  “he  had  dissolved  his  partnership,  but 
would  continue  the  practice  of  physic,  surgery,  etc.,  that  he  was  prepared 
to  receive  any  number  of  students  and  would  instruct  them  in  all  branches 
of  the  profession.” 

From  the  foregoing  it  is  plain  that  Daniel  Drake,  Coleman  Rogers  and 
Rev.  Elijah  Slack  were  the  first  medical  teachers  in  Cincinnati. 

Coleman  Rogers  was  a Virginian  by  birth,  having  been  born  in  Culpepper 
County  of  that  State,  March  6,  1781.  The  boy  was  about  six  years  old  when 
his  father  settled  at  Bryant’s  Station,  Fayette  County,  Kentucky,  a few  miles 
from  Lexington.  Mr.  Rogers,  Sr.,  had  eleven  boys  and  one  girl.  Coleman 


Coi.EMAN  Rogers 


was  the  seventh  among  the  boys,  and  in  his  mature  years  accounted  the 
smallest  one  in  the  family.  He  weighed  nearly  200  pounds  and  was  six 
feet  and  two  inches  tall.  In  his  childhood  he  was  puny  and  ill-nourished  and 
was  not  expected  to  live.  He  got  his  meager  early  education  at  a country 
school.  In  1802  he  went  to  Lexington  to  become  the  apprentice  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Brown,  and  remained  there  one  year,  when  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
go  to  Philadelphia  and  take  a regular  course  in  medicine.  He  rode  to  Phil- 
adelphia on  horseback  in  twenty-three  days.  He  became  the  pupil  of  Dr. 
Charles  Caldwell,  then  a rising  physician  in  the  eastern  metropolis,  and  some 
years  subsequently  a distinguished  member  of  the  medical  faculty  in  Tran- 
sylvania University,  Lexington,  Ky.  Rogers  attended  lectures  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  and  remained  in  Philadelphia  for  eighteen  months. 
He  was  too  poor  to  be  able  to  pay  the  expenses  incidental  to  graduation,  and 
left  for  his  Kentucky  home  without  the  coveted  diploma.  He  practiced  at 
Danville,  Ky.,  entering  into  a partnership  with  Ephraim  AdacDowell,  who 
was  already  enjoying  a vast  reputation  as  an  accomplished  surgeon.  In 


46 


1810  Rogers  returned  to  Fayette  County  and  remained  there  until  1816, 
when  he  went  to  Philadelphia  for  the  second  time  and  finally  took  his  degree. 
About  this  time  Benjamin  W.  Dudley  was  organizing  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Transylvania  University,  and  wanted  Rogers  to  be  the  Professor 
of  Anatomy.  Rogers  did  not  accept  the  offered  position,  but  moved  to  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  became  the  partner  of  Daniel  Drake.  He  was  to  be  vice- 
president  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  professor  of  surgery.  He 
could  not,  however,  agree  with  Drake.  His  erstwhile  preceptor,  Samuel 
Brown,  was  to  be  a member  of  the  faculty,  but  likewise  declined  to  take  any 
part.  In  1821  Rogers  moved  to  Newport,  Ky.  After  two  years  he  left  for 
Louisville,  where  he  remained  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  surgeon  to 
the  Marine  Hospital,  and,  in  1832,  in  conjunction  with  Alban  G.  Smith, 
afterwards  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and  Har- 
rison Powell,  founded  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute.  When  the  school,  in 
1837,  was  reorganized,  he  dropped  out  entirely.  Coleman  Rogers  was  an 
accomplished  surgeon  and  able  anatomist.  He  was  very  successful  in  prac- 
tice, leaving  quite  a large  estate  to  his  numerous  children.  He  died  in  1855, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  Strangely  enough,  in  1819  he  refused  to 
be  a professor  in  the  institution  which  Drake  founded,  while  the  latter,  in 
1839,  became  a professor  in  the  medical  school  which  Rogers  helped  to  or- 
ganize. Rogers  was  four  years  older  than  Drake,  took  his  degree  at  Phila- 
delphia about  the  time  Drake  graduated  there,  and  died  three  years  later 
than  Drake.  He  was  a handsome  and  very  stately  and  reserved  gentleman, 
quite  the  opposite  in  temperament  to  the  mercurial  Drake. 

The  third  one  in  the  trinity  of  medical  teachers  in  1818  was  Elijah  Slack, 
not  a physician,  but  a Presbyterian  minister,  who  was  well  versed  in  chem- 
istry and  was  fond  of  teaching.  He  was  a native  of  Bucks  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  was  born  November  6,  1784.  In  1810  he  graduated  at 
Princeton,  took  charge  of  an  academy  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  eventually 
became  professor  of  the  natural  sciences  in  Princeton  College.  For  a number 
of  years  he  was  vice-president  of  this  institution.  In  1817  he  took  charge 
of  the  newly-founded  Lancaster  Seminary  in  Cincinnati,  and  in  1820,  when 
it  was  merged  into  the  Cincinnati  College,  became  president  of  the  latter 
institution.  He  joined  Drake  and  Rogers  in  their  first  course  of  lectures, 
and  became  professor  of  chemistry  when  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was 
founded.  During  the  first  decade  of  its  existence  he  was  very  much  in  evi- 
dence in  the  affairs  of  the  college,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to  observe.  He 
was  given  credit  for  being  an  honest,  painstaking  man,  whose  character  was 
above  reproach.  He  was  inclined  to  be  meddlesome,  which  is  said  to  be  a 
trait  not  infrequently  found  in  gentlemen  who  wear  the  cloth.  In  person 
he  was  short  and  dumpy.  'Tn  his  lectures  and  demonstrations  he  was  scrup- 
ulously conscientious,  but  owing  to  his  pedantic,  deliberate  and  tiresome  way 
of  proceeding,  did  not  appear  to  advantage  in  either  the  lecture  room  or  the 
laboratory.  He  was  too  diffuse  in  his  lectures,  and  his  attempts  to  clear 


47 


often  obscured  the  subject.  He  was  lacking  in  dexterity,  and,  for  this 
reason,  his  experiments  often  failed.”  He  had  absolutely  no  sense  of  humor 
and  through  his  awkwardness  was  constantly  causing  hilarity  which,  of 
course,  he  could^not  account  for.  In  those  days  a pig’s  bladder  occupied  a 
prominent  place  in  a chemist’s  outfit,  taking  the  place  of  the  modern  rubber 


Elijah  Slack, 


bag,  gas  tank  and  receptacle  for  various  purposes.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
lecturing  before  a mixed  class  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  endeavored  to 
show  the  chemical  composition  of  water.  Reaching  out  for  the  pig’s  bladder, 
which  was  to  serve  as  the  receptacle,  he  remarked : “I  shall  now  fill  my 
bladder  and  proceed  to  make  water.”  This  remark  threw  the  assembly  into 
hysterics.  Mr.  Slack  could  not  account  for  the  commotion. 

In  spite  of  all  his  peculiarities,  Mr.  Slack  was  a very  useful  man.  He  pos- 
sessed a splendid  general  education  and  was  a teacher  by  profession.  Being  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  he  commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of  some  of 
the  foremost  people  in  the  town.  In  his  own  way  he  was  progressive  and  even 
enthusiastic  in  acquitting  himself  of  the  duties  of  his  chair.  He  had  a very 
creditable  laboratory,  and  was  always  on  the  alert  for  new  things  in  the  chem- 
ical line.  He  was  public-spirited  and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  His- 
torical and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio.  He  served  as  the  first  president  of 
the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society,  which  was  organized  in  1819.  He  remained 
with  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  for  eleven  years.  In  1837  he  moved  to 
Brownsville,  Tenn.,  and  opened  a high  school  for  girls,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  until  1844,  when  he  returned  to  Cincinnati.  He  taught  private 
classes,  embracing  chemistry,  physics  and  other  natural  sciences  in  his  cur- 
riculum. When  the  Ohio  College  of  Dental  Surgery  was  founded.  Slack  was 
appointed  professor  of  chemistry.  In  1851,  when  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery  was  organized  by  Drs.  A.  H.  Baker  and  B.  S.  Lawson, 
Mr.  Slack,  then  a venerable  septuagenarian  with  a wealth  of  flowing  white 


48 


hair,  appeared  again  before  a medical  class  as  a lecturer  on  chemistry.  He  died 
in  Cincinnati,  May  29,  1866.  The  name  of  Slack  Street  perpetuates  the 
memory  of  this  pioneer  teacher.  While  he  was  connected  with  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege, he  evinced  a considerable  degree  of  medico-political  talent.  He  could 
always  be  found  with  the  winning  side,  which  ordinarily  meant  that  he  was 
opposed  to  Drake. 

The  year  1818  was  a memorable  one.  in  the  history  of  American  medicine. 
During  that  year  one  of  the  most  distinguished  American  physicians  died 
(Caspar  Wistar,  the  famous  anatomist  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
1761),  while  another  great  American  physician  was  born  (Henry  Jacob 
Bigelow,  “autocrat  of  New  England  surgery,”  famous  son  of  a distinguished 
father).  Drake  devoted  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1818  to  paving  the  way 
for  the  establishment  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  people  of  Cin- 
cinnati, then  a growing  town  of  10,000  inhabitants,  were  rather  favorable  to 
the  project.  The  physicians  of  the  town  did  not  take  very  kindly  to  Drake’s 
scheme.  Some  of  them  feared  the  competition  of  the  young  doctors  which 
the  new  institution  might  turn  out.  Others  were  jealous  of  Drake,  who,  while 
only  thirty-three  years  of  age,  was  by  far  the  most  prominent  medical  man 
in  the  community.  Intrigues  of  various  kinds  were  resorted  to,  to  frustrate 
the  establishment  of  the  college.  Drake,  hopeful  and  undismayed,  personally 
appealed  to  the  Ohio  Legislature,  and  asked  for  the  passage  of  a law  author- 
izing the  establishment  of  a medical  college  in  Cincinnati.  On  January  19, 
1819,  the  Legislature  passed  an  Act  (Ohio  Laws,  Vol.  17,  p.  37),  the  wording 
of  which  was  as  follows : 

Whereas,  society  at  large  is  deeply  interested  in  the  promotion  of  medical  and  sur- 
gical knowledge ; and,  whereas,  the  students  of  medicine  in  the  State  of  Ohio  are  so 
distant  from  any  well  regulated  college  as  to  labour  under  serious  disadvantages  in  the 
prosecution  of  their  studies ; therefore. 

Section  ].  Be  is  enacted,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  that  there 
shall  be  established,  in  Cincinnati,  a college  for  instruction  in  physic,  surgery,  and  the 
auxiliary  sciences,  under  the  style  and  title,  of  “The  Medical  College  of  Ohio.” 

Section  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  Samuel  Brown,  Coleman  Rogers,  Elijah  Slack, 
and  Daniel  Drake,  with  their  associates  and  successors,  shall  constitute  the  faculty  of 
professors  of  said  college,  and,  as  such,  are  hereby  created  and  declared  the  body  cor- 
porate and  politic,  in  perpetual  succession,  with  full  power  to  acquire,  hold  and  convey 
property  for  the  endowment  of  said  college,  contract  and  be  contracted  with,  sue  and  be 
sued,  plea  and  be  impleaded,  answer  and  be  answered  unto,  defend  and  be  defended  in 
all  courts  and  places,  and  in  all  matters  whatsoever ; provided,  that  no  part  of  the  estate, 
either  real  or  personal,  which  said  incorporation  may  at  any  time  hold,  shall  be  em- 
ployed for  any  other  purposes  than  those  for  which  it  is  constituted.  And,  provided  also, 
that  the  revenues  arising  from  the  property,  which  the  said  incorporation  shall  be  entitled 
to  hold,  shall  never  exceed  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

Section  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  faculty  of  said  college  may  devise  and 
keep  a common  seal,  which  may  be  altered  and  renewed  at  pleasure. 

Section  4.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  officers  of  said  college  shall  be  a presi- 
dent, vice-president,  register  and  treasurer,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  professors  out  of 

49 


their  own  body,  once  in  two  years,  at  such  times,  and  in  such  manner,  as  they  may 
appoint ; which  officers  shall  hold  their  places  until  their  successors  are  chosen. 

Section  5.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  faculty  of 
said  college  shall  constitute  a quorum  for  every  kind  of  business,  and,  when  thus  assem- 
bled, shall  have  full  power  and  authority  to  make,  ordain  and  resolve  all  by-laws,  rules 
and  resolutions,  which  they  may  deem  necessary  for  the  good  government  and  well  being 
of  said  college ; and  the  same  when  deemed  expedient,  to  alter,  change,  revoke  or  annul, 
provided  they  be  consistent  with  the  laws  of  this  State  and  the  United  States;  also  to 
establish  such  additional  offices  and  appoint  such  officers  and  servants  as  they  may  think 
requisite  for  the  interest  of  said  college ; also  to  create,  alter  or  abolish  all  such  profes- 
sorships, and  appoint  or  dismiss  all  such  professors  and  lecturers,  as  they  may  see 
proper,  which  professors  or  lecturers,  when  thus  dismissed,  shall  cease  to  be  members 
of  the  corporation  ; provided,  that  no  professorship  shall  be  created  or  abolished,  nor  any 
professor  or  lecturer  be  elected  or  dismissed,  without  the  concurrence  of  three-fourths  of 
the  whole  faculty. 

Section  6.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  faculty  of  such  college  shall  have  power, 
and  are  hereby  authorized  to  confer  the  degree  of  medicine,  and  grant  diplomas  for  the 
same  under  the  seal  of  the  corporation. 

Section  7.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that,  until  the  faculty  of  said  college  shall  direct 
it  otherwise,  there  shall  be  established  the  following  professorships  : first,  a professorship 
of  the  institutes  and  practice  of  medicine ; second,  a professorship  of  anatomy ; third,  a 
professorship  of  surgery;  fourth,  a professorship  of  materia  medica ; fifth,  a professorship 
of  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of  women  and  children ; sixth,  a professorship  of  chem- 
istry and  pharmacy. 

Section  8.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that,  until  the  faculty  of  said  college  shall  make  a 
difi'erent  arrangement,  the  following  persons  shall  be  and  are  hereby  appointed  pro- 
fessors, viz:  Daniel  Drake,  Professor  of  the  Institutes  and  Practice  of  Medicine;  Samuel 
Brown,  Professor  of  Anatomy;  Coleman  Rogers,  Professor  of  Surgery;  Elijah  Slack, 
Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Pharmacy,  and,  until  the  said  faculty  shall  hold  an  election 
for  officers,  the  following  are  hereby  appointed,  to-wit:  Daniel  Drake,  President;  Coleman 
Rogers,  Vice-President,  and  Elijah  Slack,  Register  and  Treasurer. 

Section  9.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  this  law  shall  be  subject  to  such  altera- 
tions and  amendments  as  any  future  legislature  may  think  proper. 

Under  the  terms  of  this  Act,  Dr.  Drake  was  elected  President,  Dr.  Coleman 
Rotters  Vice-President,  and  Rev.  Elijah  ^lack  Registrar  and  Treasurer.  Dr. 
Samuel  Brown  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  institution.  Samuel 
Brown  was  a Kentuckian  and  the  oldest  member  of  the  faculty.  He  was  a 
well-posted  man  who  had  made  a splendid  record  as  a medical  student  in  Edin- 
burgh, where  he  had  spent  a few  years  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  famous 
John  Bell.  Brown  was  the  chum  and  bosom  friend  of  Ephraim  McDowell, 
who  was  his  roommate  in  Edinburgh.  Brown  afterward,  as  a member  of  the 
faculty  of  Transylvania  University,  became  one  of  the  most  di.stinguished 
teachers  of  medicine  in  the  West.  His  brother  was  the  well  known  James 
Brown,  who  so  ably  represented  our  country  in  Erance. 

Coleman  Rogers  likewise  declined  to  serve  on  the  faculty.  These  were 
the  difficulties  that  retarded  the  opening  of  the  school.  The  first  regular 
course  was  to  begin  in  the  Fall  of  1819,  but  had  to  be  postponed.  December 
30,  1819,  an  amendatory  Act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  at  the  instance  of 


50 


Dr.  Drake,  making  the  creation  and  abolishment  of  a professorship  and  the 
election  or  dismissal  of  a lecturer  dependent  on  a two-thirds  vote  of  the  faculty. 
The  meaning  of  this  amendatory  act  becomes  apparent  in  the  minutes  of  the 
first  meeting  of  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  held  January  14, 
1820.  The  minutes  of  this  meeting,  as  recorded  in  the  official  record  book, 
which  is  still  extant,  read  as  follows : 

Cincinnati,  January  14,  1820. 

A meeting  was  held  of  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Present:  Daniel 
Drake,  President,  and  Elijah  Slack,  Registrar. 

The  president  exhibited  a letter  from  Dr.  Samuel  Brown,  who  was  appointed  pro- 
fessor of  anatomy  in  the  law  incorporating  the  college,  stating  that  he  would  not  accept 
the  appointment. 

He  also  produced  several  letters  from  Dr.  Samuel  Brown  and  others,  calculated  to 
.show  the  intrigue  and  duplicity  with  which  he  had  acted  towards  the  college,  together 
with  a statement  of  the  causes  which  have  hitherto  protracted  its  organization,  which 
were  ordered  to  be  filed. 

He  likewise  exhibited  an  attested  statement  of  the  conduct  and  declarations  of  Dr. 
Coleman  Rogers,  the  professor  of  surgery,  in  relation  to  Dr.  Samuel  Brown,  by  which 
it  appears  that  Dr.  Rogers  approved  of  the  course  pursued  by  Dr.  Brown  towards  the 
college.  Whereupon,  it  was  resolved  that  the  said  Dr.  Rogers  had  acted  with  defection 
to  the  institution  and  is  unworthy  of  a professorship  in  it,  and  that  he  be  dismissed 
from  it. 

The  president  also  laid  before  the  faculty  several  recommendatory  papers  in  favor 
of  Benjamin  S.  Bohrer,  M.  D.,  whereupon  he  was  elected  professor  of  materia  niedica. 

He  also  laid  before  the  faculty  a letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  New  York 
Medical  Society  received  in  the  month  of  September  last,  inviting  this  college  to  send  a 
delegate  to  Lexington  in  the  ensuing  October  to  meet  other  delegates  and  form  a 
Western  convention  on  the  subject  of  a National  Pharmacopceia,  whereupon  it  was 
resolved  that  the  professor  of  materia  medica  be  authorized  and  requested  to  represent 
this  institution  in  the  National  Convention  now  sitting  in  Washington  City  on  the 
subject  expressed,  and  that  a commission  of  appointment  be  forwarded  to  him.  Ad- 
journed. 

ELIJAH  SLACK,  Registrar. 

This  meeting,  held  before  there  was  even  a college  in  existence,  was  the 
beginning  of  what  John  P.  Foote,  for  many  years  a trustee  of  the  college,  calls 
the  “Thirty  Years’  War.”  (See  Foote’s  “Schools  of  Cincinnati,”  1850.)  One 
week  after  this  meeting,  on  January  22,  1820,  the  first  public  hospital  in 
Cincinnati  was  created  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  its  official  name  being 
“Commercial  Hospital  and  Lunatic  Asylum  for  the  State  of  Ohio.”  Drake 
saw  the  necessity  of  a hospital  for  clinical  instruction  and  was  the  prime 
mover  in  its  establishment. 

There  were  two  more  meetings  in  1820,  one  on  August  19,  the  other 
November  1.  The  vacant  chairs  were  filled  and  sundry  business  was  trans- 
acted. I propose  to  discuss  the  happenings  of  that  first  year  in  the  life  of 
the  College  Militant,  and,  for  that  matter,  the  latter’s  subsequent  career, 
under  a separate  head,  and  must  confine  myself  at  present  to  the  part  which 


51 


the  father  of  the  young  institution  played  or  was  made  to  play.  His  very  soul 
was  afire  with  the  idea  of  giving  Cincinnati  a great  school  of  medical  learning. 
His  whole  life  from  now  on  was  a constant  vivid  delusion.  This  is  what  he, 
in  after  years,  called  his  insatiable  ambition  to  teach  and  to  be  at  the  head 
of  a great  medical  school.  It  was  the  one  consuming  passion  of  his  life,  or 
rather  it  was  the  one  passion  'that  consumed  his  life.  If  we  are  to  believe 
S.  D.  Gross,  Drake  might  have  lived  fifteen  years  longer  if  that  delusion  had 
not  taken  possession  of  and  destroyed  his  very  being  in  one  lifelong  con- 
flagration. 

The  opening  of  the  first  session,  November  1,  1820,  saw  a class  of  twenty- 
four  students  assembled  at  No.  91  Main  Street,  where  Isaac  Drake  & Co. 
conducted  a general  store.  The  second  floor  of  the  building  was  reserved  for 
the  college.  Here  Daniel  Drake  delivered  his  lectures  on  the  Theory  and  Prac- 
tice of  Medicine,  Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children.  On 
Wednesday,  April  4,  1821,  at  10  a.  m.,  a class  of  seven  graduated.  At  the 
public  commencement,  held  in  the  hall  of  the  Cincinnati  College,  on  Walnut 
Street,  Dr.  Drake  delivered  the  following  valedictory,  which  I beg  to  reproduce 
from  the  original  manuscript : 

Young  Gentleaien  of  the  Graduating  Class — 

You  have  this  moment  received  the  highest  honors  which  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  can  confer.  It  is  the  duty  of  him  who  has  the  happiness  to  be  the  organ  of  the 
institution  on  this  interesting  occasion,  to  address  you  publicly  before  our  official  con- 
nection is  dissolved.  In  proceeding  to  do  this,  it  would  be  conformable  to  custom  to 
expatiate  on  the  means  which  you  should  employ  to  cherish  the  germs  of  professional 
knowledge  which  have  been  implanted  during  your  pupilage^  and  ripen  them  into  future 
fame  and  usefulness.  I feel  myself,  however,  irresistibly  attracted  from  this  natural  and 
beaten  track.  It  is  your  fortune  to  receive  the  first  honors  which  our  school  has  ever 
awarded,  and  you  now  appear  before  this  respectable  assembly  of  citizens  of  Ohio,  as 
the  first  fruits  of  her  medical  college — the  earliest  return  made  by  the  institution  to  that 
society  from  which  its  legal  existence  was  derived.  An  event  so  new  and  momentous 
must  excite  in  the  minds  ‘of  pupils,  professors  and  spectators,  associations  of  ideas,  which 
it  would  be  unholy  in  me  to  dissever;  and  for  the  few  moments  allotted  to  this  address  I 
shall  follow  them  wheresoever  they  may  lead  me. 

On  the  necessity  of  having  well-educated  and  skillful  physicians,  there  can,  among 
an  intelligent  people,  be  no  diversity  of  opinion.  With  respect  to  the  necessity  of  insti- 
tuting an  additional  school  for  medical  instruction,  a difiference  of  opinion  might  occur. 
Had  any  contrariety  of  this  kind  existed  among  the  people  of  Ohio  before  the  establish- 
ment of  her  medical  college,  the  consummation  of  its  first  session  in  the  ceremonies 
which  we  are  now  assembled  to  perform  must  completely  remove  them.  That  five  of  you 
have  been  for  many  years  her  practitioners,  that  you  have  seized  the  earliest  opportunity 
of  enrolling  yourselves  as  pupils  of  her  school ; and  that  you  have  prosecuted  your 
studies  with  a zeal  and  emulation  which  indicate  the  measure  to  have  been  deferred 
only  from  the  want  of  a domestic  institution,  are  facts  equally  impressive  and  conclu- 
sive. If  such  of  you  gentlemen,  as  have  attained  the  meridian  of  life,  considered  it  neces- 
sary thus  to  renew  and  extend  your  collegiate  studies,  how  great  must  be  the  number  in 
Ohio  and  the  other  Western  States,  who  will  be  emulous  of  your  example.  A medical 
college  at  an  eligible  point  in  the  West,  was  required  then,  as  well  for  the  benefit  of  a 
part  of  the  existing  practitioners,  as  for  the  education  of  young  gentlemen  to  succeed 


52 


them.  It  was  this  inducement  which  led,  in  1818,  when  the  Western  Country  was  destitute 
of  such  an  institution,  to  the  projection  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 

But  can  Ohio,  and  those  sister  States  which  will  contribute  pupils,  support  a school 
for  medical  instruction  at  this  early  period?  I refer,  gentlemen,  to  yourselves  and  col- 
leagues, as  affording  an  affirmative  answer  to  this  question.  Our  first  session,  although 
protracted  and  uncertain  in  its  commencement;  destitute  of  public  patronage,  unknown 
even  to  many  of  the  students  of  Ohio,  and  cotemporary  with  the  second  session  of  a 
powerful  and  well-supported  rival  in  a neighboring  State,  has  been  attended  by  twenty- 
five  regular  pupils,  of  whom  two  are  from  Virginia,  three  from  Kentucky  and  twenty  of 
Ohio.  The  Ohio  pupils  have  been  supplied  by  six  Counties  of  the  State,  which  together 
contain  about  one-sixth  of  its  population.  This,  then,  would  give  120  pupils  as  the 
number  that  Ohio  alone  can  furnish.  But  let  us  deduct  one-half  from  the  estimate  and 
suppose  that  after  a complete  organization  shall  be  effected,  she  will  continue  to  send 
not  less  than  sixty  pupils  annuall5^  The  school  restricted  to  this  number  might  be 
respectable.  But  no  such  limitation  need  be  apprehended.  The  attractions  that  would 
allure  the  pupils  of  Ohio  could  not  fail  to  draw  others  from  the  neighboring  States.  The 
number  which  might  thus  be  collected,  may  be  estimated  by  comparing  the  population 
of  such  of  those  States  as  are  without  medical  institutions,  with  the  population  of  Ohio  ; 
or  with  that  of  Kentucky,  which  furnished  to  the  second  session  of  her  school  not  less 
than  sixty-five  students.  It  is  certain  that  the  States  of  the  West  contain  the  requisite 
number  of  pupils,  and,  this  being  the  case,  nothing  remains  that  can  not  be  supplied,  by 
the  enterprise  of  the  professors  and  the  liberality  of  the  public.  An  edifice,  a library, 
anatomical  preparations,  chemical  apparatus  and  a hospital  are  indispensable  to  its 
success.  These  should  not  be  the  property  of  the  professors,  but  of  the  institution ; and 
must,  therefore,  be  created  and  contributed  by  the  State  and  by  society.  At  present 
our  medical  school,  although  not  destitute,  is  exceedingly  deficient  in  these  important 
aids,  and  whatever  it  possesses  has  been  furnished  by  the  professors  themselves. 

It  is  auspicious,  gentlemen,  that  although  so  imperfectly  supplied,  it  has  not  by  you 
been  deemed  unworthy  of  notice.  To  your  prompt  attendance  it  will  be  found  here- 
after to  be  indebted  for  much  of  its  prosperity.  Had  your  patronage  been  withheld 
until  greater  facilities  could  be  offered,  it  might  have  been  unavailing.  For  the  sacrifices 
you  have  made  by  enrolling  yourselves  as  the  pupils  of  the  first  session,  you  will  be 
compensated  in  the  reflection  that  you  will  receive  the  honor  of  having  drawn  the  atten- 
tion of  the  community  to  the  institution  at  a period  when  the  fosterage  of  that  com- 
munity is  essential  to  its  very  existence.  The  citizens  of  Cincinnati  have  not  heretofore 
been  indifferent  to  the  project,  and  I venture  to  indulge  the  hope  that  from  this  very 
hour  they  will  regard  it  with  affection  and  approbation.  For  every  kindness  it  may 
receive,  it  will  repay  an  hundredfold ; and  when  the  tongue  which  now  addresses  you 
shall  be  mute;  when  yourselves  shall  rest  from  your  labors  in  the  cause  of  humanity, 
and  this  animated  assembly  shall  be  mingled  with  the  dust  of  the  surrounding  plain,  it 
will  be  found  to  constitute  one  of  her  richest  mines  of  wealth,  one  of  the  noblest  ele- 
ments of  her  Cornu  Copiae  of  literary  fruits.  To  those  who  are  thus  to  receive  and 
transmit  the  benefits  which  this  institution  can  impart,  we  may  look  with  confidence  for 
early  and  anxious  manifestations  of  good  will ; for  a vigilant  attention  to  its  wants,  a 
sacred  regard  to  its  reputation  and  a determined  resolution  to  support  and  protect  it 
against  every  assault.  To  suppose  less  than  this,  would  be  to  impugn  the  common 
sense,  the  feeling,  and  the  liberality  of  the  city. 

Gentlemen ! During  your  pupilage  you  have  been  petitioners  for  our  institution,  and 
your  prayer  has  been  heard.  The  appropriation  for  an  infirmary  for  which  you  solicited 
the  Legislature,  has  been  made.  That  honorable  body  (in  this  instance,  I trust,  faith- 
fully representing  the  people  of  Ohio),  has  provided  not  only  for  a hospital,  but  also 
for  a lunatic  asylum  on  such  principles  as  will  draw  to  its  wards  the  lunatics  of  Ohio 
and  other  States  in  the  West.  The  wisdom  of  our  General  Assembly  in  taking  the 

53 


necessary  steps,  at  this  early  period,  to  add  to  the  Medical  College  an  establishment  for 
the  study  of  practical  medicine,  must  secure  for  them  the  gratitude  of  the  friends  of 
science,  as  well  as  of  humanity.  It  is  agreeable  to  perceive  that  in  every  part  of  the 
State,  this  noble  act  has  been  applauded  by  the  most  intelligent  and  benevolent  citizens. 
The  slightest  symptom  of  general  harmony  of  feeling  and  unity  of  impulse,  should  be 
hailed  and  encouraged.  Hitherto  the  different  portions  of  the  State  have  maintained  an 
independent  and  imperfect  life.  No  vital  fluid  has  circulated  from  the  center  to  the 
circumference  of  the  body  politic  and  carried  an  equal  warmth  and  energy  throughout 
every  organ. 

We  have,  therefore,  but  few  State  institutions,  although  they  are  the  nerves  which 
establish  a common  sympathy  through  society,  and  without  which  it  must  forever  be 
convulsed  with  opposing  propensities  and  countervailing  efforts.  The  acts  which 
authorize  the  Medical  College  and  the  Hospital,  are  honorable  exceptions  to  the  policy 
heretofore  pursued ; and  will  eventually  advance  the  progress  of  reform.  They  must 
react  upon  the  people  from  whom  they  emanated,  and  generate  among  them  that  pride 
and  emulation  which  are  the  true  sources  of  national  harmony  and  strength. 

The  Divine  maxim  that  a house  divided  against  itself  can  not  stand,  may  be  applied 
as  well  to  the  advancement  as  the  protection  of  the  people.  Intestive  dissensions  and 
jealousies,  resemble  the  morbid  actions  of  a fever  which  produce  debility  and  delirium. 
Society  has  functions  to  perform  which  require  a harmonious  and  concerted  action  at 
least  among  its  principal  members.  In  every  State  and  in  every  city,  composed  of 
emigrants,  it  should  be  the  chief  political  object  to  introduce  and  foster  this  singleness 
of  design  and  unity  of  effort,  until  all  shall  be  ready  to  co-operate  in  every  project  for 
the  common  good.  Before  this  is  accomplished,  it  will  be  in  vain  to  attempt  works  of 
national  or  municipal  utility.  No  splendid  edifice  can  be  reared  by  sinister  and  dis- 
cordant architects.  Attraction  and  combination  are  not  less  essential  in  the  moral  than 
the  physical  world.  The  diamond  owes  its  unfading  luster  to  the  particles  of  charcoal 
of  which  it  is  composed.  The  stately  column  of  granite  derives  its  imperishable  strength 
and  beauty  from  the  firm  and  intimate  union  of  the  three  materials  of  which  Nature 
has  formed  it.  The  sands  of  our  great  river  have  been  drifted  for  ages  before  its  waves. 
Let  them  become  consolidated  into  rocks,  and  for  ages  they  will  defy  the  fiercest  assaults 
of  its  current.  In  the  whole  range  of  national' objects,  there  are  none  to  which  a new 
State  like  ours  can  direct  its  attention  with  so  much  advantage  as  to  literary  and  scien- 
tific institutions.  While  our  youth  are  sent  abroad  to  different  academies  and  colleges, 
they  must  continue  to  return  with  a diversity  of  sentiment  and  manners,  most  unfavor- 
able to  the  abolition  of  those  prejudices,  which,  like  so  many  atmospheres  of  repulsion, 
keep  asunder  their  emigrant  fathers,  and  predispose  society  to  disorder  and  distraction. 
Let  our  sons  be  educated  within  our  own  State,  and  they  will  not,  like  ourselves,  be 
strangers  to  each  other  in  a strange  land.  They  must  become  brethren  and  citizens  of 
Ohio,  they  will  then  delight  in  her  prosperity,  and  emulate  each  other  in  every  work 
designed  to  promote  her  interests  and  glory.  While  we  depend,  moreover,  on  the  insti- 
tutions of  other  States,  but  few  of  our  young  men,  comparatively,  can  be  educated.  The 
rich  only  can  send  their  sons  abroad,  and  these  make  a small  portion  of  the  whole. 
But,  Nature  having  distributed  her  intellectual  bounties  among  the  poor  as  liberally  as 
among  the  rich,  it  should  be  the  object  of  every  society  to  avail  itself  of  all  her  gifts. 
In  two  States  of  the  same  population,  if  one  should  educate  every  youth  a genius,  and 
the  other  avail  itself  of  those  only  who  are  found  within  the  ranks  of  wealth  and  for- 
tune, the  march  to  elevated  independence  and  power  would  be  in  ratios  exceedingly 
different.  In  the  former  all  the  talent  of  the  country  would  be  brought  into  requisition; 
in  the  latter,  that  only  which  is  awarded  to  a single  class.  In  one  case  every  portion 
of  the  common  mass  would  be  irrigated  by  streams  of  knowledge,  in  the  other,  a part 
only,  and  the  productiveness  would  be  proportional.  The  population  of  Ohio  is  greater 
than  that  of  Kentucky,  but  if  the  latter  should  place  the  opportunities  for  a liberal 


54 


education  within  the  reach  of  all  her  people,  but  the  former  compel  her  sons  to  seek 
such  opportunities  abroad,  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  all  the  talents  of  that  State  would 
be  put  into  requisition,  while  the  greater  part  which  Heaven  might  dispense  to  this, 
would  be  suffered  to  perish  like  seed  sown  upon  a barren  soil.  In  a century  the  results 
of  such  opposite  systems  of  policy  would  become  so  deplorably  conspicuous,  that  travelers 
to  the  Athens,  would  have  little  difficulty  in  pointing  out  the  Boeotia  of  the  West. 
The  moneys  saved  by  a State  which  fosters  institutions  of  learning,  and  those  remitted 
to  it  by  other  States,  amount  in  the  course  of  an  age  to  immense  sums ; but  these,  in 
reality,  constitute  a minor  part  of  the  benefit  which  such  institutions  produce.  The  great 
secret  of  their  beneficial  operation  is  the  general  diffusion  of  learning  which  they  effect. 
This  diffusion  is  the  true  Palladium  of  liberty.  Knowledge  is  power  and  independence. 
If  the  rich  only  can  acquire  learning,  they  sooner  or  later  effect  a monopoly  of  the 
functions  of  the  State,  and  establish  a dominion  of  intellect  incompatible  with  the  genius 
and  the  stability  of  republican  government. 

The  citizens  of  Ohio  are  then  exhorted  to  encourage  literary  and  scientific  institu- 
tions by  every  consideration  which  can  address  itself  to  their  desire  for  wealth,  their 
love  of  personal  and  public  consequence,  and  to  their  attachment  to  the  principles  of  a 
Government,  which,  if  administered  with  intelligence  and  virtue,  must  forever  protect 
both  their  individual  and  aggregated  rights. 

Gentlemen,  I shall  return  from  this  digression,  to  consecrate  a parting  moment  to 
other  emotions.  You  have  been  for  five  months  the  pupils  of  our  institution,  and  I 
feel  it  my  duty  to  bear  a public  testimony  to  the  entire  devotion  with  which  you  have 
prosecuted  your  studies.  As  if  disposed  from  the  beginning  to  excuse  the  imperfections 
of  a first  session,  and  by  your  attainments  to  impress  society  with  a good  opinion  of 
our  infant  seminary,  you  have  laboured  with  unwearied  diligence  to  supply  our  defects, 
and  I do  not  doubt  that  society  will  decide  that  you  have  been  successful.  You  have 
given  proofs  that  you  rightly  apprehend  the  nature  of  the  medical  profession.  It  is, 
indeed,  a learned,  liberal  and  difficult  vocation.  When  yon  commence  or  resume  its 
duties,  you  will,  I trust,  by  your  example,  sustain  it  in  the  possession  of  these  exalted 
attributes.  You  will  never  forget  that  they  should  enter  into  and  regulate  all  the 
intercourse  between  physicians  and  patients.  Your  chief  ambition  will  be  to  deserve  the 
confidence  of  society : your  greatest  happiness  to  extend  and  strengthen  that  confidence ; 
not  by  cunning  and  address,  but  by  ability  with  which  you  discharge  your  official  duties. 
You  will  shrink  with  disgust  from  the  intimation  that  you  may  acquire  patronage  by 
an  easier  method  than  is  here  indicated : you  will  turn  with  indignation  from  every 
proposition  to  commute  fame  into  popularity.  You  will  make  science  the  ground  work 
of  your  reputation ; and  acts  of  intelligence,  honor  and  benevolence  the  material  of  the 
superstructure.  You  will  thus  become  shining  lights  of  the  profession:  you  will  sit 
down  with  the  great  ones  of  the  earth : the  learned  will  thirst  after  your  conversation  : 
the  rich  will  contribute  their  homage,  the  poor  will  call  you  blessed,  and  your  names  will 
live  and  be  held  in  honour. 

The  Commencement  being  over,  the  strife  among  the  professors  began 
with  renewed  vigor.  Just  eleven  months  after  that  memorable  first  Com- 
mencement, which  should  have  been  and  in  reality  was  an  apotheosis  to 
Drake’s  genius,  the  man  in  whose  brain  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was 
conceived,  in  whose  heart  it  was  nurtured  as  the  unborn  child  is  by  the  blood 
of  the  mother,  the  man  by  whose  strong  hand  the  young  school  was  guided 
during  the  days  of  its  early  childhood,  that  very  man  was  expelled  because 
two-thirds  of  the  faculty,  two  men  who  owed  their  positions  to  Drake,  willed 
it  so.  Reference  to  this  serio-comic  affair  will  be  made  elsewhere.  The 


55 


expulsion  took  place  March  6,  1822,  at  the  end  of  the  second  annual  session 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  It  was  made  pos'sible  by  the  intrinsic  defect 
in  the  Charter  which  placed  the  government  of  the  school  in  the  hands  of  the 
teaching  staff.  This  is  at  all  times  a hazardous  arrangement.  As  far  as  the 
management  of  a school  is  concerned,  its  professors  should  have  a right 
to  suggest  measures  of  policy,  but  the  power  to  adopt  and  enforce  them  should 
belong  to  a disinterested  body  of  trustees  or  managers.  To  invest  one  or 
more  of  the  teaching  force  with  both  prerogatives  and  thus  make  him  or 
them  the  judge  or  judges  of  his  or  their  own  conduct,  is  wrong  in  principle, 
and  is  bound  to  be  disastrous  in  practice. 


Medicau  Department  of  Transvevania  University 


Drake’s  expulsion  horrified  the  people  of  Cincinnati.  Their  demand  that 
the  wrong  be  righted  and  Drake -reinstated,  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a 
resolution  one  week  later  to  rescind  the  action  of  the  previous  meeting. 
Drake  was  reinstated  but  promptly  handed  in  his  resignation. 

The  condition  of  Drake’s  mind  can  be  better  imagined  than  described. 
All  his  troubles  had  been  caused  by  men  who  wanted  to  get  possession  of 
the  fruits  of  his  labor.  The  school  was  his  offspring,  and  he  contended  for 
it  as  a parent  does  for  a child.  He  saw  his  ideal  besmirched  by  unworthy 
hands.  The  invitation,  in  1823,  to  again  become  a member  of  the  Transyl- 
vania Faculty,  came  like  a message  of  redemption.  The  chair  of  materia 


56 


medica  was  offered  to  him  and  he  accepted  the  offer.  In  the  Fall  of  1823 
he  moved  with  his  family  to  Lexington.  He  lectured  there  during  the  fol- 
lowing three  sessions.  The  Transylvania  School  was  at  that  time  at  the 
height  of  its  glory.  Its  faculty  comprised  the  most  distinguished  men  in  the 
West,  the  total  number  of  its  medical  students  being  nearly  three  hundred. 
Drake  built  up  a magnificent  consultation  practice  in  Lexington,  patients 
coming  to  him  from  all  parts  of  the  South  and  West.  He  had  become  a 
national  figure,  universally  respected  on  account  of  his  great  ability  and  his 
character.  Some  of  the  nation’s  celebrities  considered  it  a privilege  to  know 
him  and  to  do  him  honor.  Clay,  Clinton,  Calhoun  and  others  of  similar 
caliber  showed  their  regard  for  Drake  in  many  ways.  He  took  many  trips, 
visiting  different  parts  of  the  South,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  who  was  not 
in  the  best  of  health.  In  October,  1825,  he  was  to  endure  the  severest  and 
bitterest  of  human  ordeals.  The  sweetheart  of  his  youth,  whose  companion- 
ship was  the  one  great  inspiration  of  his  life,  his  “own  beloved  Harriet,” 
as  he  affectionately  called  his  wife,  died  of  malignant  fever.  Her  death 
was  a stunning  blow  to  Drake.  She  who  had  been  “sweetheart,  wife,  mother, 
companion,  in  fact  everything”  to  him,  passed  to  the  unknown  regions 
beyond.  She  was  laid  away  in  the  old  Presbyterian  cemetery  in  Cincinnati 
(now  Washington  Park),  and  years  afterwards  found  a permanent  resting- 
place  in  Spring  Grove,  Cincinnati’s  beautiful  City  of  the  Dead.  The  old 
Presbyterian  churchyard  was  at  the  time  of  Mrs.  Drake’s  death  not  kept 
in  the  best  of  condition.  Drake  was  struck  with  the  desolate  look  of  the 
place  and  started  a movement  to  improve  its  appearance  by  the  planting  of 
trees  and  the  erection  of  an  iron  fence.  No  wife  has  been  more  sincerely 
mourned  than  was  Mrs.  Drake.  Her  bereaved  husband  always  observed 
the  anniversary  of  her  death  by  solitude,  fasting,  meditation  and  the  writing 
of  a few  memorial  lines,  often  in  poetic  form.  The  following  poem  was 
written  by  Drake  in  1831,  and  shows  the  beautifully  tender  soul  of  the 
man  as  well  as  his  poetic  talent: 

Ye  clouds  that  veil  the  setting  sun, 

Dye  not  your  robes  in  red ; 

Thou  chaste  and  beauteous  rising  moon, 

Thy  mildest  radiance  shed. 

Ye  stars  that  gem  the  vault  of  Heaven, 

Shine  mellow  as  ye  pass ; 

Ye  falling  dews  of  early  ev’n. 

Rest  calmly  on  this  grass. 

Ye  fitful  zephyrs  as  ye  rise, 

And  win  your  way  along. 

Breathe  softly  out  your  deepest  sighs. 

And  wail  your  gloomiest  song. 

Thou  lonely,  widowed  bird  of  night. 

As  on  this  sacred  stone, 

Thou  mayest  in  wandering  chance  to  light, 

Pour  forth  thy  saddest  moan. 

57 


Ye  giddy  throng  who  laugh  and  stray, 

Where  notes  of  sorrow  sound, 

And  mock  the  funeral  vesper-lay. 

Tread  not  this  holy  ground. 

For  here  my  sainted  Harriet  lies, 

I saw  her  hallowed  form 
Laid  deep  below,  no  more  to  rise, 

Before  the  judgment  morn, 

Drake’s  colleagues  in  Transylvania  were  loth  to  see  him  go.  He  was 
universally  popular  on  account  of  his  manly  and  honest  conduct  and  his 
ability.  He  was  the  dean  of  the  school  from  1825  until  the  time  of  his 
departure.  Dr.  James  C.  Cross,  one  of  his  colleagues  in  Transylvania  and 
later  on  a professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  in  1834  referred  to 
Drake’s  leaving  the  Lexington  School  as  “a  severe  calamity  and  a stroke  from 
which  the  school  has  never  recovered.”  Drake  left  Lexington  in  the  Spring 
of  1826  and  returned  to  Cincinnati.  He  did  all  this  in  the  interests  of  his 
family.  This  is  his  statement.  I have  never  been  able  to  understand  why 
he  should  have  made  a move  that  involved  a great  loss  and  promised  very 
little  compensation  for  the  loss.  Was  it  the  love  of  dear  old  Cincinnati  that 
always  brought  him  back,  a more  loyal  son  of  the  Queen  City  than  ever? 

Almost  immediately  after  his  return  to  Cincinnati  he  had  a severe  attack 
of  meningitis,  which  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  His  erstwhile  colleague.  Dr. 
Wm.  H.  Richardson,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  rode  eighty  miles  on  horseback  to 
come  to  the  bedside  of  his  stricken  friend,  and  remained  in  Cincinnati  until 
the  danger  was  passed.  Drake  had  hardly  recovered,  when  he  was  again  at 
work  planning  and  projecting.  In  1827  he  opened  on  Third  Street,  between 
Main  and  Walnut  Streets,  the  ‘‘Cincinnati  Eye  Infirmary”  in  conjunction 
with  Dr.  Jedediah  Cobb,  that  excellent  anatomist  and  popular  teacher,  whose 
splendid  achievements  we  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  elsewhere. 

A sad  occurrence  of  the  year  1828,  (September  28),  was  the  horrible 
death  of  Miss  Caroline  S.  Sisson,  a sister-in-law  of  Drake.  She  had  retired 
for  the  night  when  the  mosquito  bar  over  her  bed  caught  fire.  She  called 
for  help,  but  in  spite  of  the  heroic  efforts  of  Drake,  who  had  rushed  to  her 
rescue,  she  perished  in  the  flames.  Drake’s  hands  were  badly  burned. 

Three  years  Drake  spent  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a 
much-sought-after  physician  in  Cincinnati,  occasionally  taking  a hand  in 
matters  of  public  interest.  He  took  part  in  the  temperance  movement  of 
those  days.  E.  D.  Mansfield  gives  an  amusing  account  of  a large  public 
temperance  meeting  at  which  Drake  spoke.  It  was  in  September,  1827,  that  a 
public  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called  to  convene  at  the  courthouse,  and  con- 
sider the  subject  of  temperance.  The  meeting  was  held  at  three  o’clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Many  old  citizens  were  present,  who  were  quite  familiar  with 
old  whisky,  and  upon  whose  cheeks  it  blossomed  forth  in  purple  dyes.  To 
these,  and  indeed  to  the  great  body  of  people  in  the  West,  a temperance 


58 


speech  was  a new  idea.  Dr.  Drake  was  the  speaker.  They  listened  to  him 
with  respectful  attention,  and  were  by  no  means  opposed  to  the  object.  The 
speech,  however,  was  long.  The  doctor  had  arrayed  a formidable  column 
of  facts.  The  day  was  hot,  and,  after  he  had  spoken  about  an  hour  without 
apparently  approaching  the  end,  someone,  out  of  regard  for  the  doctor’s 
strength  or  by  the  force  of  habit,  cried  out:  “Let  us  adjourn  awhile 'and 
take  a drink.”  The  meeting  did  adjourn,  and  McFarland’s  tavern  being 
near  by,  the  old  soakers  refreshed  themselves  with  “old  rye.”  The  meeting 
again  assembled,  the  doctor  finished  his  speech,  and  all  went  of?  well.  Soon 
after  the  temperance  societies  began  to  be  formed,  and  the  excitement  then 
begun  has  continued  to  this  day. 

Drake  watched  with  keen  interest  the  trend  of  events  at  the  college  which 
he  had  founded.  He  must  have  found  it  galling  to  see  inferior  men  trying 
to  do  the  work  which  he  had  planned  for  himself.  Eventually  his  ever- 
active  brain  evolved  a scheme  that  would  land  him  in  the  place  which  he 
considered  his  inalienable  right,  to-wit : that  of  the  foremost  medical  teacher 
in  Cincinnati.  Jef¥erson  College,  of  Philadelphia,  furnished  the  means  to  the 
end.  He  was  offered  a chair  at  Jefferson.  The  offer  in  itself  was  a great 
moral  victory  for  Drake.  In  addition  to  this,  his  mind  was  made  up  in 
reference  to  a new  medical  school  which  he  had  decided  to  found  in  Cin- 
cinnati, in  order  to  create  a place  for  himself  and  to  destroy  the  tottering 
Ohio  College.  He  had  discussed  his  plans  with  one  or  two  of  the  trustees 
of  Miami  University  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  had  received  encouragement. 
He  decided  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  lecture  during  one  session  at  Jefferson, 
and  cast  about  for  available  men  to  bring  to  Cincinnati  to  make  up  the 
faculty  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Miami  University,  to  be  started  after 
his  return  from  Philadelphia.  Drake  was  at  this  time  a man  of  more  than 
national  reputation.  Three  scientific  societies  of  prominence  had  elected 
him  a member  during  the  year  preceding  his  Philadelphia  appointment : the 
Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  American  Philosophical  Society 
and  Royal  Wernerian  Society  of  Natural  History  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 

Drake  made  a splendid  record  in  Philadelphia.  His  class  numbered  about 
one  hundred  students,  who  simply  idolized  their  new  teacher  from  the 
West.  Before  the  session  was  over,  he  resigned  and  hurried  back  to  Cin- 
cinnati, where  the  professors  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  were  already 
shaking  in  their  boots.  Drake  appeared  on  the  scene  with  a galaxy  of 
Eastern  luminaries  that  fairly  startled  the  people  of  the  Miami  country. 
He  brought  with  him  John  Eberle,  a “Pennsylvania  Dutchman,”  crude  and 
erratic,  with  tremendous  ability  in  his  work  and  a German  accent  in  his 
speech;  James  M.  Staughton,  a good  surgeon  and  a young  man  of  great 
promise;  Thomas  D.  Mitchell,  scholarly  but  tiresome;  John  E.  Henry,  orig- 
inally from  Kentucky,  who  had  already  achieved  some  reputation  as  a wielder 
of  a facile  pen.  Two  of  Drake’s  Eastern  friends  changed  their  minds  about 
going  to  Cincinnati.  They  were  George  McClellan,  the  brilliant  and  erratic 


59 


founder  of  Jefferson  Aledical  College,  and  Robley  Dunglison,  of  medical 
dictionary  fame.  The  story  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Miami  University 
with  the  flourish  of  trumpets  in  the  first  chapter  and  the  smoking  of  the 
pipe  of  peace  in  the  windup,  Drake  meekly  joining  in  the  general  love-feast, 
will  be  told  elsewhere.  While  Drake’s  hopes  were  not  realized,  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  felt  the  grip  of  his  masterhand.  He  failed  in  the  establish- 
ment of  a new  school  and  in  the  intended  destruction  of  the  Ohio  College, 
but  he  did  reconstruct  the  latter  from  top  to  bottom.  This  was  the  achieve- 
ment of  the  memorable  year  1831.  That  the  reconstruction  did  not  suit 
Drake,  was  evident  from  his  resignation  at  the  end  of  the  session  of  1831-2, 
when  he  again  became  a private  citizen  and  practitioner. 

Drake’s  active  and  fervent  temperament  was  not  adapted  to  the  even 
tenor  of  a simple  life.  This  can  readily  be  imagined.  The  cholera  year,  1832, 
kept  him  busy  practicing  his  profession,  and  otherwise  working  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  public  good.  In  1832  he  began  to  cultivate  society  in  the  better 
sense  of  the  word  than  it  is  usually  understood.  He  lived  at  Vine  and 
Baker  Streets  at  that  time,  with  two  young  daughters  growing  into  woman- 
hood. Here  he  kept  open  house  for  all  those  who,  on  account  of  their  cul- 
ture, cleverness  and  virtue,  were  eligible  to  sit  at  his  fireside.  Here  he  dis- 
pensed hospitality  out  of  a large  buckeye-bowl,  which  was  filled  with  some 
innocent  beverage  and  tastefully  decorated  with  buckeye  blossoms  and 
branches.  Around  this  festive  buckeye-bowl  the  intellectual  elite  of  the  city 
feasted  on  corncakes  and  cornbread.  Professor  Stowe,  a biblical  scholar  of 
much  renown;  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  gave  the  world  ‘'Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin”; 
General  and  Mrs.  Edward  King,  who  afterward  founded  the  Philadelphia 
School  of  Design;  Mr.  Albert  Pickett,  the  father  of  the  Cincinnati  Public 
Schools,  and  many  other  persons  of  similar  caliber  constituted  Dr.  Drake’s 
social  set.  He  was  the  center  and  promoter  of  conversation,  discussion  and 
amusement.  While  he  was  dignified  to  a degree,  he  had  a merry  twinkle 
in  his  eye  that  suggested  a fun-loving  and  joke -playing  temperament. 

The  buckeye-bowl ! How  many  reminiscences  of  early  pioneer  days  in 
the  Ohio  Valley  cluster  around  it!  Doctor  Drake  loved  the  buckeye,  the 
emblem  of  our  State.  His  toast,  spoken  at  the  forty-fifth  anniversary  of 
the  first  settlement  of  Cincinnati  (1833),  ought  to  be  read  by  every  son  and 
daughter  of  the  proud  State  of  Ohio.  They,  too,  would  learn  “to  love  the 
buckeye  of  the  West  that  possesses  the  power  to  permanently  unite  the 
hemlock  of  the  North  and  the  palmetto  of  the  South  in  the  same  national 
arbor.” 

To  the  College  of  Teachers,  founded  in  1833,  Dr.  Drake  gave  much 
time  and  labor.  It  was  an  aggregation  of  the  brightest  and  most  progressive 
men  that  were  to  be  found  in  Cincinnati  at  that  time.  It  existed  for  many 
years  and  contributed  a large  share  to  the  intellectual  development  of  this 
part  of  our  country.  Drake’s  contributions  to  the  transactions  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Teachers  were  frequent  and  most  valuable.  He  usually  discussed 


60 


some  phase  of  education.  He  advocated  compulsory  education,  the  teaching 
of  anatomy  and  physiology  in  the  common  schools,  and  many  other  ideas 
far  in  advance  of  his  time.  Some  of  his  associates  in  the  College  of  Teachers 
were  Albert  Pickett,  to  whom  Cincinnati  owes  the  establishment  of  her 
public  school  system;  Alexander  Kinmont,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  classical 
scholars  in  the  educational  history  of  the  West;  James  H.  Perkins,  author 
of  “Annals  of  the  West,”  invaluable  on  account  of  their  completeness  and 
accuracy;  Alexander  McGuffey,  the  famous  author  of  school  books,  who 
married  one  of  Drake’s  daughters,  and  Bishop  Purcell,  who  was  a tower  of 
moral  and  mental  strength  in  the  early  days  of  Cincinnati.  It  would  seem 
that  Cincinnati,  as  a whole,  has  never  since  reached  the  level  of  education 
and  culture  that  was  represented  in  an  aggregation  of  such  men  as  those 
named,  says  E.  D.  Mansfield. 

In  the  early  thirties  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was  in  a woeful  condition. 
The  troubles  and  wrangles  in  the  faculty  and  board  of  trustees  were  continuous, 
involving  the  medical  profession  of  the  city  and  causing  much  feeling  among  the 
citizens  who  were  naturally  interested  in  the  success  of  their  medical  college.  It 
is  but  natural  to  assume  that  Drake  noticed  it  all  with  ill-concealed  satisfaction. 
In  1835  he  was  approached  and  asked  again  to  become  a professor  in  the  school. 
Drake  was  ready,  but  on  one  condition : the  immediate  dismissal  of  his  arch- 
enemy, Dr.  John  Moorhead,  who  at  this  time  was  the  professor  of  obstetrics 
and  the  diseases  of  women  and  children.  The  bitter  enmity  of  Drake  and  Moor- 
head had  started  many  years  before  and  was  a favorite  topic  for  the  gossips  of 
the  town.  It  added  to  the  already  existing  disturbed  condition  of  things,  and 
forms  a distinct  chapter  in  the  medical  history  of  the  city. 

JOHN  MOORHEAD  (sometimes  spelled  Morehead)  was  born  in  the 
county  of  Monaghan,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1784.  He  was,  therefore,  but  one  year 
older  than  Drake.  He  attended  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and,  after 
finishing  his  medical  course,  passed  the  examination  for  the  medical  service 
in  the  English  army.  Edinburgh,  at  that  time,  attracted  a good  many  Ameri- 
cans. John  Bell  was  the  giant  of  the  medical  faculty,  and  very  popular  with 
his  American  pupils.  Ephraim  McDowell,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  a 
student  under  Bell.  It  was  through  the  influence  of  his  American  fellow- 
students  at  Edinburgh  that  Moorhead  conceived  the  idea  of  going  to  America. 
In  1820  he  came  to  Cincinnati,  where  two  of  his  brothers  were  living,  and 
decided  to  remain  here  for  awhile.  He  met  Drake  and  promptly  took  a 
strong  dislike  to  him,  which  was  cordially  reciprocated.  When  Drake,  on 
December  30,  1819,  caused  the  Legislature  to  pass  an  amendatory  act  per- 
taining to  the  appointment  and  dismissal  of  professors,  he  was  made  the 
target  of  much  abuse  and  vilification,  mainly  through  the  columns  of  the 
Western  Spy.  The  writers  were  anonymous.  Drake  had  his  suspicions 
in  regard  to  the  identity  of  the  writers  and  answered  the  various  anonymous 
communications  in  a letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Western  Spy.  This  was  the 
• 61 


beginning  of  a long  and  bitter  newspaper  war,  in  which  nearly  every  prom- 
inent physician  in  the  town  became  involved.  Finally,  the  fight  narrowed 
down  to  Drake  and  Moorhead.  The  letters  published  by  these  two  men  were 
long  and  frequent.  Moorhead  particularly  had  a happy  way  of  saying  some 
very  impolite  things  in  a most  courteous  manner,  by  diluting  the  venom  in  a 
superfluity  of  well-worded  and  long  drawn-out  sentences.  One  day  the 
men  met  on  the  river  front.  Moorhead  was  waiting  for  an  incoming  boat 
when  Drake  happened  along.  Moorhead,  in  an  undertone,  said  some  sar- 
castic things  about  Drake,  and  the  good  fortune  of  the  Ohio  College  in 


John  Moorhead 


having  Drake  at  the  helm.  This  was  too  much  for  the  fiery  Drake.  A rough 
and  tumble  fight  followed,  in  which  the  clumsy  and  awkward  Moorhead  got 
the  worst  of  it.  With  his  eyes  blackened  and  his  scalp  laid  open  he  was 
led  from  the  battlefield.  The  next  scene  in  this  serio-comic  performance 
was  a challenge  sent  by  Moorhead  to  Drake  to  fight  a duel  with  pistols 
‘‘like  a gentleman.”  Drake  could  not  see  things  that  way  and  declined  the 
challenge,  whereupon  Moorhead  made  up  his  mind  that  Drake  was  no  gen- 
tleman and  forthwith  ignored  him.  Shortly  after,  Benjamin  Drake,  the 
doctor’s  brother,  and  Moorhead  were  involved  in  a quarrel,  during  which 
Moorhead  was  severely  cut. 

The  manner  in  which  Drake  was  being  discussed  in  the  public  prints  by 
his  enemies  in  the  profession,  Moorhead,  Oliver  B.  Baldwin  and  others, 
would  have  exasperated  even  a less  inflammable  individual.  Baldwin  speaks 
of  him  as  the  “notorious  Daniel  Drake,”  “a  common  disturber  of  the  peace,” 
refers  to  “his  ungovernable  passion  for  brawls,”  says  that  “he  is  no  gentle- 
man,” that  he  is  “an  unqualified  liar,”  that  he  indulges  “in  vulgar  wit,”  that 
“he  plagiarizes  his  lectures,”  that  he  is  “full  of  arrogance,  malignity  and 
meanness.”  Moorhead  calls  him  “a  calumniator,”  emphasizes  his  “talents  of 
professional  insolence,”  his  “lust  of  quarreling,”  says  that  “he  proceeds  after 


62 


the  manner  of  a common  assassin,”  that  he  is  “a  domineering  coward,”  that 
his  character  is  ‘‘a  combination  of  vices,”  that  “he  possesses  rare  powers  of 
invention,”  Moorhead’s  letters  were  characteristic  of  the  man : very  voluble, 
verbose,  circumstantial,  courteous  even  in  their  malignity,  full  of  clumsy 
attempts  at  irony  and  sarcasm.  One  can  not  but  marvel  at  the  naive  spirit 
of  the  times  that  would  tolerate  six  columns  of  a purely  personal  character 
in  a public  print.  Drake’s  letters  of  reply  stamp  him  as  the  better  man  from 
every  point  of  view.  His  innuendos  are  clever,  his  sarcasm  delightful,  his 
style  faultless,  A sense  of  artistic  moderation  pervades  his  utterances.  His 
letters  were  short,  almost  epigrammatic,  compared  to  Moorhead’s  long- 
winded  epistles.  Several  times  Drake  ignored  Moorhead’s  attacks,  and  in 
this  way  precipitated  a new  outbreak  on  the  part  of  his  “irritated  foreign 
friend,”  as  Drake  called  Moorhead.  This  war  of  words  and  letters  con- 
tinued for  a long  time.  The  people  of  Cincinnati  were  alternately  amused 
and  excited ; the  principals  in  the  fight  were  relieved  by  having  a chance  to 
get  rid  of  excess  steam.  In  reading  the  Western  Spy  of  those  days  (1820), 
one  is  reminded  of  the  speech-making  heroes  of  the  Trojan  war,  or  of  the 
complaint  of  the  ancient  arrowmaker  in  “Hiawatha,”  who  finds  fault  with 
the  men  that  fight  like  women — 

“using  but  their  tongues  as  weapons.’’ 

A delightful  sketch  of  Moorhead  is  given  in  the  personal  reminiscences 
of  an  old  Ohio  student,  published  anonymously  (“Clinic,”  1873),  at  the  time 
of  Moorhead’s  death.  The  following  is  an  excerpt : 

“I  first  saw  Dr.  Moorhead  forty-three  years  ago,  and  heard  his  course  of  lectures 
then  upon  the  practice  of  medicine.  Very  well  do  I remember  the  first  Monday  in 
November,  1830.  I then  entered  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  as  a student.  All  of 
the  professors,  that  morning,  at  9 o’clock,  were  sitting  around  a long,  wide  table. 
Commencing  at  one,  paying  fee  and  taking  ticket,  every  student  continued  until  he 
had  made  the  entire  round.  To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  each  professor,  that 
morning  got  about  six  hundred  dollars.  I remember  to  have  thought  it  quite  a 
princely  business,  and  looked  upon  those  grave  philosophers,  as  I took  every  one 
to  be,  with  absolute  awe,  wondering  if  they  had  not  descended  from  the  gods,  to 
have  attained  such  wonderful  distinction ! I stopped  one  of  them  on  the  street  the 
next  day,  to  beg  of  him  a prescription  to  relieve  a poor  man  in  my  neighborhood  of  a 
hemiplegia,  and  I had  not  a doubt  but  what  a few  cabalistic  hieroglyphics  of  his,  on  a 
scrap  of  paper,  would  confer  on  me  the  power  of  making  my  poor  friend  whole — that 
he  might  leap,  with  recreated  energy,  and  go  on  his  way  rejoicing.” 

“And  now  the  lectures  began.  With  the  exception  of  Cobb,  each  of  them  sat  down 
on  a chair  and  read  his  lecture  straight  along  from  one  end  to  the  other,  when,  saying 
‘Good  morning,  gentlemen,’  he  left,  to  make  way  for  another.” 

“Moorhead  wore  black  buckskin  boots,  drawn  on  over  his  pantaloons,  which  were 
of  black  plush.  I had  no  doubt  that  such  boots  were  only  for  those  in  the  highest  walks 
of  philosophy,  and  wondered  if  it  were  possible  for  any  of  his  colleagues,  or  of  the 
students  before  him,  ever  to  attain  so  sublime  a height  as  to  be  entitled  to  such  boots 
as  those.  I had  never  seen  any  like  them  before,  nor.  have  I since.  All  the  other  pro- 


63 


fessors  trudged  about  on  foot  to  their  patients,  if  at  any  time  they  had  any;  but  Moor- 
head, who  always  had  plenty  of  them,  rode  an  old  gray  mare,  heavy  in  foal.” 

“Moorhead  had  his  lectures  written  on  small  note  paper,  and  carried  the  one 
selected  for  the  day  in  a thick  and  rather  greasy-looking  pocketbook,  which  he  would 
extract  from  his  side  pocket,  after  taking  his  seat,  untie  its  fastenings,  and,  lifting 
sheet  by  sheet,  read  them  as  one  might  read  a letter  aloud  at  his  own  fireside.  His 
brogue  was  terrible,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I could  comprehend 
him.  I believe  a large  majority  of  the  class  never  tried.  I never  saw  him  make  but 
one  gesture.  He  was  talking  of  salivation,  and  said : ‘Some  of  your  patients,  hereafter, 
upon  a morning  visit,  will’  (and  here  he  carried  his  forefinger  and  thumb  to  his  upper 
right  canine,  and  motioned,  as  if  extracting  it),  ‘will  reproachfully  say,  “See  here. 
Doctor !”  ’ ” 

“He  had  a large  collection  of  pills,  plasters  and  things,  in  an  old  frame  building 
fronting  the  levee,  and  a brother,  as  I understood,  who  was  a ‘surgeon,’  and  who  was 
pretty  generally  on  hand  here,  and  who,  I remember,  prescribed  ‘searching  cathartics,’ 
so  popular  with  his  brother.  I did  not  hear  that  he  did  any  other  surgery.”  (Dr.  Robert 
Moorhead,  who  had  been  a surgeon  in  the  British  army,  died  in  Cincinnati  in  *1845.) 

“Doctor  Moorhead  always  said  that  he  would  prescribe  for  no  one  who  did  not 
have  on  a flannel  shirt.  He  would  not  prescribe  for  a roommate  of  mine  until  he 
got  one,  which  was  not  an  easy  thing,  in  the  absence  of  a subscription,  for  the  poor 
fellow  to  do.” 

“Doctor  Moorhead  got  married,  for  the  first  time,  during  this  Winter,  and,  on 
the  night  of  the  wedding  the  students  had  a meeting,  and  appointed  an  ‘orator’  to  con- 
gratulate him  next  day,  at  his  lecture  hour.  Sure  enough,  next  day,  just  as  the  doctor 
was  taking  his  seat,  at  a preconcerted  signal,  the  whole  class  arose  as  one  man,  when 
our  orator,  a very  tall,  gaunt  man,  with  enormous  porterhouse  steak  whiskers,  as  red 
as  blazes,  fired  away,  and  in  hot  haste  was  up  among  the  stars,  and  walking  the  milky- 
way  as  fearlessly  as  a conjurer  dances  on  a tightrope.  When  he  was  through,  we  all 
sat  down,  and  so  did  the  doctor,  and,  leisurely  taking  out  his  old  leather  pocketbook,  he 
untied  the  string,  took  out  a sheet  and  commenced  reading,  as  if  nothing  in  the  world 
had  happened.” 

“When  he  went  to  see  a patient,  of  whose  financial  rank  he  was  ignorant,  he  no 
sooner  entered  the  room  than  he  asked,  pencil  and  paper  in  hand:  ‘Who  pays  this  bill?’ 
Moorhead  had  the  habit  of  carrying  his  money,  preferably  silver,  with  him,  tied  up 
in  a red  bandana  handkerchief.” 

Moorhead  was  a man  of  ability,  although  lacking  in  brilliancy.  He 
was  a slow  and  pedantic  lecturer,  full  of  dignity  and  importance.  In  stature 
he  was  clumsy  and  ponderous.  He  was  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a match  for 
the  wiry,  agile,  active,  seductively  eloquent  and  brilliant  Drake.  The  latter 
loved  a good  chance  for  the  display  of  his  mettle.  In  1826,  when  Samuel 
Thomson,  the  founder  of  the  Thomsonian  system,  came  to  Cincinnati  and 
made  many  converts  to  his  new  creed,  Drake  challenged  him  to  a public 
debate.  In  1828  the  students  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  started  a 
debating  society  and  frequently  asked  invited  guests  to  take  part  in  the 
discussions.  Drake  was  invited  and  simply  electrified  his  audience  by  an 
extemporaneous  address  on  medical  education.  He  was  at  that  time  a 
bitter  enemy  of  the  Ohio  faculty,  and  attended  the  students’  meeting  without 
any  one  of  the  professors  knowing  about  it.  In  spite  of  the  existing  feud 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  invade  the  camp  of  the  enemy  and  appear  before  the 


64 


students  of  the  hostile  college.  Moorhead  was  particularly  bitter  in  his 
denunciation  of  Drake.  Being  a good,  conscientious  practitioner,  he  had 
many  friends  in  Cincinnati  who  sided  with  him  against  Drake.  The  enmity 
of  the  two  men  lasted  fully  twenty  years,  and  only  ceased  when  Drake  left 
Cincinnati  for  Louisville,  in  1839,  and  had  no  more  occasion  to  worry  about 
his  old  antagonist  who  held  the  professorship  of  practice  until  1849,  when 
he,  upon  his  father’s  death,  permanently  settled  on  his  estate  in  Ireland, 
became  Sir  John  Moorhead  and  led  the  life  of  a gentleman  of  wealth  and 
leisure.  Moorhead  was  made  professor  of  practice  in  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  in  1825.  He  held  this  chair  for  six  years,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children.  After  nine  sessions 
he  again  became  professor  of  practice.  He  left  in  1849  and  he  was  followed 
in  his  chair  by  his  old  enemy,  Daniel  Drake.  The  manner  in  which  ironical 
Fate  happened  to  arrange  this  session,  we  shall  see  later  on.  Moorhead  died 
in  Ireland  in  1873.  During  his  residence  in  Cincinnati  he  had  a strong  fol- 
lowing among  the  profession.  He  was  respected  on  account  of  his  learning 
and  dignified  conduct.  “Old  Hydrarg,”  as  he  was  popularly  known,  was  a 
believer  in  blue  mass  and  calomel.  One  of  his  favorite  means  of  practical 
illustration  was  the  careful  inspection  of  the  faeces.  Frequently  he  would 
cause  a vessel  to  be  passed  among  the  class,  and  insist  upon  careful  study  of 
the  appearance  and  odor  of  the  contents.  If  any  one  of  the  students  ob- 
jected, Moorhead  would  say  to  him  in  his  slow  and  deliberate  manner: 
“There  may  not  be  any  poetry  in  that  vessel,  but  there  is  quite  a good  deal  of 
learning  in  it.” 

In  1835,  when  the  complete  collapse  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
seemed  inevitable,  Drake  was  called  to  save  the  ship.  As  stated  above,  his 
demand  was  the  summary  dismissal  of  Moorhead,  “the  foreigner.”  The 
latter  appellation  was  singularly  significant  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Moor- 
head was  in  the  habit  of  spending  only  his  Winters  in  Cincinnati.  His 
Summers  he  spent  on  his  father’s  estate  in  Ireland.  Yet,  his  friends  were 
powerful  enough  to  sustain  him  in  the  face  of  Drake’s  demand.  Moorhead 
held  the  fort  and  Drake,  who  was  determined  to  crush  the  Ohio  College, 
founded  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.  This  was,  in 
more  ways  than  one,  the  crowning  event  of  Drake’s  career  as  a builder  of 
medical  schools.  The  story  of  this  short-lived  but  greatest  medical  school 
Cincinnati,  or  perhaps  the  West,  has  ever  seen,  will  be  told  elsewhere.  The 
men  who  were  associated  with  Drake  in  the  new  venture  were  the  brainiest, 
most  brilliant  and  famous  medical  teachers  of  the  day,  particularly  Samuel 
D.  Gross,  who  left  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  joined  Drake;  Willard 
Parker,  a peerless  surgeon;  J.  B.  Rogers,  a chemist  of  national  reputation, 
and  others.  This  school  was  abandoned  after  four  years  of  a valiant  fight 
for  supremacy. 

Daniel  Drake  during  these  three  years  was  at  his  best  as  a teacher  of 
medicine.  S.  D.  Gross  has  given  us  such  a graphic  sketch  of  Drake  in 


66 


those  days,  that  I beg  to  reproduce  the  excellent  word-picture  penned  by 
Gross : 

“Drake  was  a handsome  man  with  fine  blue  eyes  and  manly  features.  He  had  a 
commanding  presence,  being  nearly  six  feet  tall,  having  a fine  intellectual  forehead. 
His  step  was  light  and  elastic,  his  manner  simple  and  dignified.  He  was  always  well- 
dressed,  and  around  his  neck  he  had  a long  gold  watch  chain,  which  rested  loosely  upon 
his  vest.  He  was  a great  lecturer.  His  voice  was  clear  and  strong,  and  he  had  the 

power  of  expression  which  amounted  to  genuine  eloquence.  When  under  full  sway, 

every  nerve  quivered  and  his  voice  could  be  heard  at  a great  distance.  At  such  times, 
his  whole  soul  would  seem  to  be  on  fire.  He  would  froth  at  the  mouth,  swing  to  and 

fro  like  a tree  in  a storm,  and  raise  his  voice  to  the  highest  pitch.  With  first  course 

students  he  was  never  popular,  not  because  there  was  anything  disagreeable  in  his 
manner,  but  because  few  of  them  had  been  sufficiently  educated  to  seize  the  import  of 
his  utterances.” 

Gross  characterizes  Drake  by  saying  he  was  easy  of  access,  kind  and 
genial,  a hater  of  vulgarity  and  immorality,  a lover  of  children  and  of 
innocent  fun,  a thoroughly  noble  Christian  gentleman.  His  modesty  bordered 
on  affectation.  In  1850  he  refused  the  presidency  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  because  “he  was  not  worthy  of  such  honor.”  He  did  not  want 
to  go  to  Europe  because  he  was  afraid  of  meeting  great  physicians,  men  of 
university  education,  who  had  had  greater  advantages  than  himself.  “I 
think  too  much  of  my  country  to  place  myself  in  so  awkward  a position.” 
Drake  said  this  at  a time  when  his  name  was  spoken  with  respect  everywhere 
in  England  and  on  the  Continent. 

After  the  collapse  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College 
(1839),  Drake,  worn  out  and  thoroughly  disgusted,  accepted  an  appointment 
as  professor  of  materia  medica  and  pathology  at  the  Louisville  Medical  In- 
stitute, later  on  being  made  professor  of  practice.  He  moved  to  Louisville 
in  1840  and  remained  there  for  almost  ten  years,  teaching,  practicing  and 
preparing  his  monumental  work  on  the  “Diseases  of  the  Interior  Valley  of 
North  America.”  In  1850,  when  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was  again 
passing  through  a most  critical  period,  its  friends  thought  of  Daniel  Drake, 
now  the  foremost  physician  in  the  West,  honored  and  beloved  at  home  and 
abroad.  It  was  thought  that  his  name  and  his  genius  would  save  the  founder- 
ing craft.  The  old  Ohio  College  turned  its  longing  eyes  towards  him  who 
thirty  years  before  had  given  it  its  existence,  and  bade  him  return.  Did 
he  return?  When  on  November  5,  1849,  at  the  opening  of  the  thirtieth 
session  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  the  tall  figure  of  Daniel  Drake,  as 
handsome  and  as  erect  as  ever,  though  the  frosts  of  sixty-four  Winters  had 
slightly  silvered  his  temples,  appeared  before  the  class — received  by  the  stu- 
dents as  no  one  had  ever  been  received  before — it  seemed  as  though  Destiny 
had  reserved  that  particular  triumph  for  him,  as  a vindication  of  his  long 
struggle  in  the  interests  of  all  that  is  good  and  pure  in  the  profession. 
Where  were  the  men  who  had  fought  him,  who  had  attempted  to  take  from 
him  the  fruits  of  his  labor?  Where  were  the  Jesse  Smiths,  the  Moorheads 


66 


and  all  the  others  of  lesser  renown?  There  he  stood,  the  Daniel  Drake  of 
old,  like  an  Olympic  hero  receiving  the  thundering  acclaim  of  those  whose 
approval  was  the  one  thing  in  all  the  world  to  him  worth  possessing.  In 
that  hour  all  the  bitterness  of  the  past  was  forgotten.  His  was  the  battle, 
and  his  the  great  final  victory.  With  a suggestion  of  moisture  in  his  eyes 
and  ill-concealed  tremulous  emotion  in  his  voice,  standing  before  the  stu- 
dents whose  vociferous  applause  would  not  down,  and  amid  the  professors 
and  trustees  who  had  assembled  to  do  him  honor,  Drake  opened  his  heart  and 


I.ouisvirnE  Medicae  Institute 


revealed  the  secret  of  that  delusion  that  had  pursued  him  through  thirty 
years  of  his  life.  It  was  the  confession  of  a father  who  had  found  his  long- 
lost  child.  Drake  said : 

“My  heart  still  fondly  turned  to  my  first  love,  your  alma  mater.  Her  image, 
glowing  in  the  warm  and  radiant  tints  of  earlier  life,  was  ever  in  my  view.  Tran- 
sylvania had  been  reorganized  in  1819,  and  included  in  its  faculty  Professor  Dudley, 
whose  surgical  fame  had  already  spread  throughout  the  West,  and  that  paragon  of  labor 
and  perseverance,  Professor  Caldwell,  now  a veteran  octogenarian.  In  the  year  after 
my  separation  from  this  school,  I was  recalled  to  that ; but  neither  the  eloquence  of 
colleagues,  nor  the  greeting  of  the  largest  classes,  which  the  university  ever  enjoyed, 
could  drive  that  beautiful  image  from  my  mind.  After  four  sessions  I resigned,  and  was 
subsequently  called  to  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia;  but  the  image  mingled 
with  my  shadow ; and  when  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  it  bade  me  stop 
and  gaze  upon  the  silvery  cloud  which  hung  over  the  place  where  you  are  now  assem- 
bled. Afterward,  in  the  Medical  Department  of  Cincinnati  College,  I lectured  with  men 


67 


of  power,  to  young  men  thirsting  for  knowledge,  but  the  image  still  hovered  round  me. 
I was  then  invited  to  Louisville,  became  a member  of  one  of  the  ablest  faculties  ever 
embodied  in  the  West,  and  saw  the  halls  of  the  university  rapidly  filled.  But  when  I 
looked  on  the  faces  of  four  hundred  students,  behold ! the  image  was  in  their  midst. 
While  there  I prosecuted  an  extensive  course  of  personal  inquiry  into  the  causes  and 
cure  of  the  diseases  of  the  interior  valley  of  the  continent;  and  in  journeyings  by  day, 
and  journeyings  by  night,  on  the  water  and  on  the  land,  while  struggling  through  the 
matted  rushes  where  the  Mississippi  mingles  with  the  Gulf,  or  camping  with  the  Indians 
and  Canadian  boatmen,  under  the  pines  and  birches  of  Lake  Superior,  the  image  was 
still  my  faithful  companion,  and  whispered  sweet  words  of  encouragement  and  hope.  I 
bided  my  time;  and,  after  twice  doubling  the  period  through  which  Jacob  waited  for 
his  Rachel,  the  united  voice  of  the  trustees  and  professors  has  recalled  me  to  the  chair 
which  I held  in  the  beginning.” 


Drake’s  Residence  (1850) 

(Now  the  site  of  124  We.st  Fourth  Street) 


Surely,  if  every  man  who  has  ever  been  connected  with  the  old  Ohio 
College  in  the  capacity  of  a teacher  or  a trustee,  or  both,  had  been  imbued 
with  the  patriotism  and  the  sentiments  of  pure,  unselfish  devotion,  that  in- 
spired these  words  of  Daniel  Drake,  the  old  Ohio  would  have  never  descended 
from  that  regal  throne  that  should  be,  and,  for  a time,  was  her  station. 

Daniel  Drake,  mirahile  dictu,  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  session.  He 
yearned  for  peace  and  quiet  such  as  he  had  enjoyed  in  Louisville.  The 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  was  still  the  scene  of  incessant  wrangling  and  fight- 
ing. Drake  was  disenchanted.  He  had  sought  the  realization  of  the  dreams 
of  his  youth  in  vain.  He  returned  to  Louisville,  where  he  was  received  with 
open  arms.  Parental  love  is  a peculiar  product.  Its  roots  lie  deep  in  the 
human  heart,  and  are  nourished  by  the  blood  of  the  heart  itself.  It  is  blood- 
love,  and  lives  and  dies  with  the  blood — “Bhit  ist  ein  ganz  hesond’rer  SaftT 

68 


This  explains  the  return  of  Drake  to  his  wayward  child,  in  1852,  when  he  was 
again  asked  to  come  back  and  stay  the  seemingly  inevitable  dissolution.  He 
began  his  college  work,  but  took  sick  on  October  26,  after  attending  a public 
meeting  held  by  the  people  of  Cincinnati  to  honor  the  memory  of  Daniel 
Webster.  Drake  had  been  indisposed  for  more  than  a week.  Shortly  after 
his  return  from  the  Webster  meeting  he  was  seized  with  a violent  chill  which 
was  followed  by  vomiting  and  great  depression.  He  took  to  his  bed  with  all 
the  physical  signs  of  pneumonia.  From  the  very  beginning  of  the  attack  the 
outlook  seemed  doubtful.  He  grew  weaker  from  day  to  day,  and  seemed 
to  realize  that  he  was  fast  approaching  the  end  of  his  earthly  career.  His 
friends,  Drs.  Wm.  S.  Ridgeley  and  Wolcott  Richards,  were  in  constant  at- 
tendance. Alexander  H.  McGuffey,  his  son-in-law,  who  was  with  Drake  in 
his  last  hours,  describes  the  parting  of  the  distinguished  man  as  follows: 

“He  had  made  his  peace  with  God  and  was  resigned  to  meet  his  Maker.  A few 
hours  before  his  death,  when  loudly  called  by  a familiar  voice,  he  would  partially  open 
his  eyes ; and  during  the  forenoon  he  made  faint  efforts  to  swallow  the  fluids  which 
were  placed  in  his  mouth.  But  the  lethargy  steadily  gained  ground,  and  his  breathing 
became  more  and  more  labored,  until  about  five  o’clock,  when  his  pulse  became  im- 
perceptible and  his  breathing  less  heavy.  His  breathing  became  gentler  and  shorter, 
till,  at  last,  it  ceased  so  gradually  that  we  could  not  say  when  his  lungs  ceased  their 
functions.  But  just  at  this  solemn  moment,  when  all  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  face  of 
the  departing,  he  closed  his  mouth  most  naturally,  drew  up  and  placed  upon  his  breast 
the  right  hand,  which  had  for  hours  lain  motionless  by  his  side,  the  eyes  opened  and 
beamed  with  an  unearthly  radiance,  as  if  at  the  same  time  clasping  in  and  reflecting  the 
glories  of  heaven,  and — the  spirit  was  with  God,  who  gave  it.” 

He  died  on  the  sixth  day  of  November,  1852.  His  obsequies  assumed  the 
character  of  a public  demonstration.  It  seemed  as  though  every  person  in 
Cincinnati  was  a mourner.  They  all  unconsciously  felt  that  one  of  the  na- 
tion’s great  men  had  departed.  He  was  laid  to  rest  in  beautiful  Spring  Grove, 
where  he  lies  at  the  side  of  her  whom  he  had  never  ceased  to  love  and  mourn. 
He  sleeps  beneath  a modest  shaft  of  sandstone,  which  today  is  crumbling. 
Others  whose  lives  were  of  no  import  have  monuments  of  royal  splendor. 
Republics  are  notoriously  ungrateful. 

In  reality,  Daniel  Drake  needs  no  monument  to  remind  posterity  of  his 
work  and  worth.  That  miserable  shaft  is  a monument  of  Cincinnati’s  shame. 
E.  D.  iMansfield,  in  his  ‘‘Personal  Reminiscences,”  says : “Over  the  graves  of 
Cincinnati’s  heroic  pioneers  there  is  not  a single  monument  which  gives  to 
the  passing  stranger  an  idea  of  their  work,  and  the  future  city  of  Cincinnati, 
great  in  art  and  population,  will  know  little  of  its  founders  or  its  benefactors.” 
Cincinnati  has  been  too  busy  perpetuating  the  memory  of  its  lesser  lights  on  the 
walls  of  its  schoolhouses  and  public  buildings  to  think  of  those  giants  of  the 
past  who,  like  Daniel  Drake,  were  the  architects  of  our  national  greatness. 


69 


Daniei.  Drake’s  Monument  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

The  legend  on  the  monument,  which  marks  the  last  resting-place  of  Daniel 
Drake,  reads: 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Daniel  Drake,  a learned  and  distinguished  physician,  an 
able  and  philosophic  writer,  an  eminent  teacher  of  the  medical  art,  a citizen  of  ex- 
emplary virtue  and  public  spirit,  a man  rarely  equalled  in  all  the  gentler  qualities  which 
adorn  social  and  domestic  life.  His  fame  is  indelibly  written  in  the  records  of  his 
country.  His  good  deeds,  impressed  on  beneficent  public  institutions,  endure  forever. 
He  lived  in  the  fear  of  God  and  died  in  the  hope  of  salvation. 

He  who  rests  here  was  an  early  inhabitant  and  untiring  friend  of  the  City  of  Cin- 
cinnati with  whose  prosperity  his  fame  is  inseparably  connected. 


70 


CHAPTER  VL 


DRAKE  AS  A MEDICAL  AUTHOR. 

IN  following  Drake  through  his  long  and  eventful  life  we  are  struck  with 
the  versatility  of  his  talents.  He  was  indeed  a singularly  gifted  man. 
In  addition  to  this,  he  was  distinctly  a man  of  affairs,  full  of  ambition, 
energy  and  determination.  He  had  a quick,  intuitive  judgment  and  grasped  a 
situation  with  remarkable  facility.  Like  Bacon,  he  identified  an  underlying 
principle  almost  coincidently  with  recognizing  the  fact  which  embodied  it. 
In  his  reasoning  from  facts  to  ideas  and  principles  he  was  rapid,  intense  and 
incisive.  He  would  have  made  a good  professor  of  philosophy,  yet,  he  was 
emotional  to  a degree  and  could  mix  flights  of  fancy  and  logical  evolution 
easily  and  skillfully.  He  was,  therefore,  a natural  orator  who  could  harangue  a 
political  gathering  or  a religious  meeting  with  equal  success.  He  would  have 
made  a capital  actor.  He  was  always  ready  to  talk.  Artful  silence  was 
foreign  to  him.  He  would  have  been  a Machiavelli,  a Talleyrand  or  a Moltke 
if  he  had  been  able  to  use  his  tongue  for  the  purpose  of  hiding  rather  than 
divulging  his  thoughts.  He  would  have  made  an  ideal  preacher  because  his 
mind,  his  heart  and  his  tongue  were  always  perfectly  attuned.  He  had  no 
fitness  to  be  a politician  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  rostrum  or  in  the  lecturer’s  chair. 
If  he  had  been  less  scrupulously  honest,  he  would  have  made  a good  lawyer. 
Constituted  as  he  was,  he  would  have  made  a better  incumbent  of  the  bench 
than  a member  of  the  bar.  He  was  a protester  by  nature,  an  iconoclast 
by  cultivation,  a reformer  by  force  of  habit.  Taking  him  all  in  all,  he  was 
best  fitted  for  the  medical  profession,  using  the  latter  term  in  its  pure  and 
ideal  sense.  To  him  truth  was  everything.  When  he  founded  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  he  was  moved  by  an  ideal  which  he  wished  to  embody  in 
the  interests  of  science  and  pro  bono  publico.  When  he  founded  the  Com- 
mercial Hospital,  he  was  animated  by  the  love  of  humanity  and  of  scientific 
progress.  The  petty  schemes  of  the  latter-day  medical  politician  who  seeks 
his  own  gain,  his  own  aggrandizement  in  the  working  out  of  his  schemes  was 
foreign  to  him.  Colleges,  hospitals  and  medical  societies  are  frequently  used 
by  the  small  medical  politician  as  stepping-stones  or  pedestals.  Large  men 
like  Drake  do  not  need  either.\^  A man  like  Drake  lifts  the  college,  the  hospital 
and  the  society  to  his  level.  The  small  medical  politician  debauches  them  by 
pulling  them  down  to  his  own  niveau.  This  is  the  difference  between  men  of 
the  Daniel  Drake  type  and  his  small  imitators  of  later  days. 

There  was  only  one  thing  in  his  make-up  that  was  equal  to  his  tongue. 
It  was  his  pen.  He  wielded  the  pen  as  few  medical  men  have  handled  it. 


71 


The  delightful  diction  of  an  Austin  Flint,  the  clear  and  logical  analysis  of  a 
Roberts  Bartholow,  the  engaging,  light,  graceful  and  often  satirical  style  of  the 
feuilleton  so  masterfully  handled  by  a William  Osier,  and  the  minuteness  and 
painstaking  accuracy  of  detail  so  characteristic  of  a George  M.  Gould,  they 
all  enter  into  Daniel  Drake’s  splendid  mastery  of  the  pen.  Considering  the 
imperfection  of  his  early  education,  it  seems  more  wonderful  than  ever  that 
he  should  have  been  facile  princeps  among  his  many  contemporaries  who 
were  educated  and  trained  litterateurs.  The  greatest  of  them  all  was  un- 
doubtedly John  D.  Godman.  Compared  to  his  colleagues,  with  the  exception 
of  Drake,  Godman  was  of  transcendentally  superior  quality  as  a medical 
author. 

John  D.  Godman  has  been  likened  to  that  young  man  and  great  genius, 
Bichat,  of  France.  He,  too,  died  at  an  early  age  but  left  his  footprints  in 


John  D.  Godman 


the  sands  of  time.  He  will  always  be  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  medical  leaders 
of  his  age.  Godman  held  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  for  one  session.  It  was  the  second  session  in  the  history  of  the 
college  and  there  was  excitement  enough  for  everybody.  Drake  had  been 
forcibly  eliminated  and  was  in  the  mood  resembling  that  of  Marius  sitting 
on  the  ruins  of  Carthage  and  thinking  about  ways  of  getting  even  with  the 
ungrateful  Roman  republic.  Godman  was  a mild-mannered  young  man,  not 
in  the  best  of  health  and  wrapped  up  in  his  work.  His  fort  was  anatomy 
rather  than  surgery.  Anatomy  with  him  was  an  art  as  well  as  a science. 
He  was  a product  of  Maryland,  a native  of  Wilmington,  where  he  was  born 
in  1794.  In  his  boyhood  he  was  a printer’s  apprentice.  In  1814  when  the  war 
raged  in  the  Chesapeake,  he  became  a sailor  under  Commander  Barney,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  service  at  the  bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry.  His  first 
experience  on  board  of  ship  moulded  the  character  of  the  young  man.  He 
was  ordered  to  the  masthead,  and,  while  ascending,  looked  down,  became 
dizzy  and  was  about  to  fall  when  the  stentorian  voice  of  the  captain  almost 


72 


shook  the  ship : “Look  aloft,  you  lubber !”  He  looked  aloft,  became  self- 
possessed  and  did  what  he  had  been  told  to  do.  Godman  often  in  after  life 
told  how  the  captain’s  stern  command  many  times  rang  in  his  ears  in  moments 
of  doubt  and  anxiety.  When  the  heart  is  growing  faint  and  the  fear  of  men 
and  their  opinions  is  creeping  over  one’s  inner  self,  how  gloriously  the  com- 
mand of  conscience  and  self-respect  rings  through  one’s  soul,  and  brings  one 
back  to  honor  and  self : “Look  aloft,  you  lubber !” 

Godman,  in  1816,  managed  to  attend  medical  lectures  in  Baltimore.  In- 
cidentally he  studied  Latin,  Greek,  French,  German  and  Italian,  and  became  a 
brilliant  linguist.  He  was  twenty-four  years  old  when  he  graduated  from 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Maryland.  Three  years  after 
his  graduation  he  became  professor  of  surgery  in  Cincinnati.  In  the  East 
he  was  esteemed  as  a remarkable  anatomist  and  promising  surgeon.  It  was 
his  great  and  rapidly  earned  reputation  that,  secured  for  him  the  appointment 
at  the  Ohio  College.  He  was  thoroughly  disgusted  at  the  end  of  the  term 
and  resigned.  He  remained  in  Cincinnati  for  a number  of  months,  but  finally 
went  to  Philadelphia  to  practice  medicine  and  do  scientific  work  in  a more 
congenial  atmosphere.  When,  in  1826,  Hosack,  Mott  and  others  founded 
that  short-lived  but  brilliant  medical  school  called  Rutgers  Medical  College, 
Godman  was  given  the  chair  of  anatomy.  He  was  then  the  leading  American 
anatomist.  Valentine  Mott  was  his  special  friend  and  admirer.  He  soon 
broke  down  entirely,  had  to  give  up  teaching  and  practicing,  and  died  in 
Philadelphia  in  1830,  thirty-six  years  of  age,  of  tuberculosis.  Godman 
throughout  his  whole  life  sufifered'the  pangs  of  poverty.  “During  my  whole 
life,”  he  was  wont  to  say,  “I  have  eaten  the  bread  of  sorrow  and  drunk  the 
cup  of  misery.”  Gross,  who  met  Godman  in  1828,  describes  him  as  a thin, 
frail,  sickly-looking  man  with  a pallid  face,  heavy  brow  and  a clear,  sonorous 
voice,  interrupted  at  intervals  by  a hacking  cough. 

Godman  was  a voluminous  writer.  He  not  only  wrote  on  anatomical 
subjects,  but  on  natural  history  and  collateral  topics.  His  paper  on  “Fasciae” 
is  a classic.  His  “Contributions  to  Physiological  and  Pathological  Anatomy” 
attracted  much  attention.  He  edited  and  annotated  “Bell’s  Anatomy”.  A book 
written  in  a most  happy  vein  is  his  “Rambles  of  a Naturalist.”  Uodman 
founded  and  edited  the  first  medical  journal  in  Cincinnati,  or,  for  that  matter, 
in  the  AVest,  under  the  title  of  “The  Western  Quarterly  Reporter  of  Medical, 
Surgical,  and  Natural  Science.”  The  first  number  appeared  March,  1822. 
His  publisher  was  Mr.  John  P.  Foote  (father  of  Dr.  H.  E.  Foote,  at  one  time  a 
professor  in  the  Miami  Medical  College),  a public-spirited  citizen,  himself 
quite  a writer,  and  interested  in  literary  and  scientific  pursuits.  He  conducted 
a book  store  at  No.  14  Lower  Market  Street,  and  later  on  did  much  for  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  as  president  of  its  board  of  trustees.  Mr.  John  P. 
Foote  should  be  gratefully  remembered  by  the  people  of  Cincinnati  as  one 
of  its  most  useful  citizens  during  the  first  century  of  its  existence.  He 
assumed  the  financial  responsibility  of  Godman’s  journal  and  contributed 


73 


articles  on  natural  history.  The  journal  was  quite  a pretentious  publication. 
Each  issue  contained  over  one  hundred  pages.  After  six  issues  the  journal 
was  discontinued,  Godman  going-  to  Philadelphia. 

Godman  was  the  first  medical  editor  in  Cincinnati.  Drake  had  a very 
high  opinion  of  Godman’s  ability  and  wrote  for  his  journal.  That  Godman’s 
path  as  a medico-literary  pioneer  was  not  strewn  with  roses  is  not  surprising. 
The  medical  profession  has  always  had  its  share  of  men  who  would  block 
progress  at  any  cost  and  embitter  the  work  of  progressive  men  at  all  hazards. 
Says  Godman  in  his  introduction : 

“To  deviate  from  a beaten  track,  is  at  all  times  sufficient  to  startle  the  fears  of  the 
prejudiced  and  faint-hearted.  Fortunately  for  us,  we  live  in  an  age  and  country 
where  innovation  on  established  follies  draws  down  nothing  but  harmless  thunder,  noise, 
but  not  fire.  Truth  is  too  little  affected  by  it  to  be  disturbed,  and  mankind  are  con- 
vinced experimentally,  that  folly  never  is  changed  into  wisdom,  by  age.” 

Godman,  however,  was  confident: 

“As  to  the  manner  in  which  our  first  attempt  is  to  be  received  and  estimated 
abroad,  we  feel  undisturbed.  If  we  have  new  facts  to  adduce,  new  modes  of  thinking 
to  offer,  or  new  modes  of  action  to  propose,  they  are  to  be  examined  and  tested  by  the 
rules  of  right  reason  and  common  sense,  which  are  confined  to  no  location.  If  there 
be  some  sneers  at  propositions  we  make,  or  plans  we  lay  down,  a sneer  is  not  an 
argument,  any  more  than  assertion  is  proof.  In  short,  if  our  mode  of  proceeding, 
however  new,  be  supported  by  reason  and  confirmed  by  actual  experiment,  we  are  sure 
to  receive  the  greatest  of  all  human  justifications — success.” 

In  the  second  issue  of.  his  journal  Godman  published  a Neurological 
Table,  exhibiting  a view  of  the  nerves  of  the  head,  showing  their  origin, 
course,  relation,  distribution,  connection,  function,  comparative  anatomy  and 
giving  their  synonyms.  This  table  shows  Godman’s  studious  habits  and 
scholarly  achievements. 

Godman  like  the  voluble  Caldwell,  of  Transylvania,  was  an  earnest  stu- 
dent of  phrenology  and  other  speculative  lines  of  investigation.  He  con- 
tributed a number  of  interesting  articles  on  phrenology  to  his  journal  and 
translated  articles  from  the  Dutch  on  the  same  subject.  From  the  French  he 
translated  articles  on  Medical  Jurisprudence. 

In  Number  III  of  his  journal  he  published  an  interesting  entomological 
chart  by  J.  Dorfeuille,  who  was  one  of  the  curators  of  the  Western  Museum 
in  Cincinnati.  (This  museum,  of  which  Drake  was  one  of  the  founders,  was 
at  that  time  (1822)  the  fourth  in  size  in  the  United  States.  In  point  of 
scientific  value  it  stood  second.  Dorfeuille  was  one  of  the  curators,  another 
one  was  Robert  Best,  distinguished  chemist,  [born  in  1790  in  Somersetshire, 
England;  in  America  since  his  twelfth  year.  Rev.  Elijah  Slack’s  assistant 
during  the  first  session  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  lecturer  on  chemistry 
at  Transylvania  in  1823,  author  of  a book  on  medical  chemistry,  M.  D.  in 
1826  at  Transylvania,  died  1830,  a nervous  wreck].  J.  J.  Audubon,  the 
famous  ornithologist,  was  for  awhile  connected  with  the  Western  Museum. 
Dorfeuille  afterwards  gained  fame  and  recognition  as  a naturalist  in  Europe.) 


74 


An  editorial  on  “Medical  Journals”  could  be  profitably  read  by  medical  editors 
even  today.  Godman  pleads  for  pure  and  forcible  English  and  complains 
that  most  medical  editors  do  not  seem  to  know  their  mother-tongue.  Godman’s 
ideas  about  “Medical  Education”  were  lofty  and  pure,  almost  too  exalted 
even  for  our  own  advanced  notions  on  the  same  subject.  In  discussing  “Med- 
ical Quarrels,”  he  complains  bitterly  of  the  smallness  and  moral  decrepitude 
of  many  members  of  the  profession,  even  among  those  who  pose  as  types  of 
ethical,  respectable  medical  gentlemen.  Godman  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer 
and  follower  of  Benjamin  Rush,  whom  he  refers  to  as  being  incomparably 
great  and  deservedly  immortal.  In  regard  to  drugs  Godman  was  a skeptic, 
not  to  say  a cynic.  Considering  the  times  of  drug-superstition  and  drug- 
mania  in  which  he  lived,  his  cynicism  in  and  of  itself  stamps  him  as  an 
extraordinary  man.  Godman  shows  himself  in  his  journal  just  as  he  was, 
scholarly,  independent  and  thoroughly  devoted  to  medicine  and  the  natural 
sciences.  He  was  widely  known  and  respected.  The  Medical  Society  of 
Maryland,  the  Baltimore  Medical  Society  and  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society 
had  elected  him  an  honorary  member  before  he  had  completed  his  twenty- 
eighth  year.  He  was  not  a local  celebrity.  He  belonged  to  the  Nation  as 
one  of  the  foremost  medical  scholars  of  his  time.  The  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  can  well  be  proud  of  that  one  session  during  which  a man  of  his  caliber 
was  a member  of  the  faculty. 

This  was  the  man  who  disputed  with  Drake  the  honor  of  being  the  fore- 
most medical  writer  in  the  West.  The  two  men,  as  they  appear  to  us,  can 
well  be  placed  beside  each  other.  They  were  distinct  individualities,  however, 
even  in  point  of  style  and  diction.  Godman  was  correct,  erudite  and  polished. 
Drake  was  trenchant,  vigorous  and  full  of  fire  and  animation.  Both  made 
deep  impressions  on  the  rank  and  file  of  the  profession.  This  is  evident  from 
the  honors  they  received  simultaneously.  The  Pittsburg  Medical  Society,  in 
1823,  elected  both  honorary  members.  That  this  honor  was  one  not  to  be 
despised  is  shown  by  the  names  of  others  who  were  also  thus  honored : the 
German  clinician  Hufeland,  the  German  physiologist  Osiander  and  that  prince 
of  surgeons,  Dupuytren.  It  was  in  Godman’s  Journal  that  Drake  began  his 
career  as  a medical  author.  A volume  containing  the  complete  set  of  six 
issues  of  Godman’s  Journal  is  well  worth  possessing  and  preserving.  Cin- 
cinnati has  produced  but  one  journal  that  was  equal  to  it  (Drake’s  Western 
Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences),  but  none  superior. 

In  the  Spring  of  1826  the  “Ohio  Medical  Repository,”  a semi-monthly, 
was  begun  by  Drs.  Guy  W.  Wright  and  James  M.  Mason,  both  being  Western 
graduates  and  intensely  patriotic  with  reference  to  everything  pertaining  to 
the  West.  Their  ambition  was  to  give  the  profession  a Western  medical 
journal  edited  by  Western  doctors.  Dr.  Mason  retired  after  the  first  year, 
Drake  taking  his  place.  It  became  a monthly  under  the  title  of  “Western 
Medical  and  Physical  Journal,  original  and  eclectic.”  Drake  soon  became 
the  sole  owner  and  editor  and  issued  it  under  the  name  of  the  “Western 


Journal  of  the  Medical  and  Physical  Sciences.”  Its  motto  engraved  upon  a 
picture  of  the  Cornus  Florida  was  very  suggestive;  E sylvis  niinchis.  Drake’s 
collaborators  were  John  C.  Dunlavy,  of  Hamilton,  Ohio,  an  early  graduate 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio;  James  C.  Finley,  a young  Cincinnati  physi- 
cian ; Dr.  Wm.  Wood,  also  a local  physician ; Drs.  S.  D.  Gross  and  John  P. 
Harrison,  professors  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1839  Drake  took 
the  journal  with  him  to  Louisville,  where  it  was  subsequently  combined  with 
the  “Louisville  Journal  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,”  which  was  issued  by  the 
professors  of  the  “Louisville  Medical  Institute.” 

The  files  of  Drake’s  “Western  Journal  of  the  Medical  and  Physical 
Sciences”  represent  medical  archives  of  extraordinary  scientific  and  historical 
value,  principally  on  account  of  the  contributions  which  Drake  himself  made 
to  his  journal.  His  contributions  included  case  reports,  papers  on  the  path- 
ology and  treatment  of  special  diseases,  articles  on  medical  education  and 
kindred  subjects.  He  traveled  extensively  and  wrote  interestingly  on  any- 
thing and  everything  in  connection  with  what  he  saw,  heard,  learnt  and 
thought  while  away,  including  the  botany,  geology,  etc.,  of  the  country 
traversed.  A characteristic  paper  by  Drake  was  written  by  him  in  1827  on 
“The  Modus  Operandi  and  the  Effects  of  Medicines,”  an  heroic  effort  to 
systematize  a non-classifiable  subject.  This  essay  throws  considerable  light 
on  Drake’s  therapeutic  notions.  He  was  a champion  of  moderation  of  dosage 
and  adaptation  of  physiological  effects  to  pathologic  processes.  Considering 
the  time  in  which  he  wrote,  he  was  distinctly  in  advance  of  his  contempo- 
raries. A memorable  essay  was  on  “Intemperance,”  in  which  he  expounded 
with  great  energy  and  at  considerable  length  the  well-worn  philosophy  of  the 
temperance  advocates.  His  arguments  are  directed  principally  against  whis- 
key drinking.  That  Drake,  in  his  belligerent  moods,  used  his  journal  as  an 
outlet  for  his  ire  and  venom,  especially  during  his  struggle  against  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio,  it  is  but  natural  to  suppose.  His  articles  against  the 
professors  of  that  institution  are  characteristic  of  the  man  and  of  the  situa- 
tion. In  point  of  acridity  and  biting  sarcasm  these  articles  left  nothing  to  be 
desired.  In  spite  of  Drake’s  attitude  some  of  the  Ohio  professors  wrote  for 
his  journal. 

The  most  noteworthy  among  his  contributions  were  his  seven  essays  on 
“Medical  Education  and  the  Medical  Profession  in  the  Lmited  States.”  He 
published  them  in  book  form  in  1832,  and  dedicated  them  to  the  students 
composing  the  twelfth  class  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  titles  of 
the  seven  essays  were : 1.  Selection  and  Preparatory  Education  of  Pupils.  2. 
Private  Pupilage.  3.  Medical  Colleges.  4.  Studies,  Duties  and  Interests  of 
Young  Physicians.  5.  Causes  of  Error  in  the  Medical  and  Physical  Sciences. 
6.  Legislative  Enactments.  7.  Professional  Quarrels.  These  essays  have 
lost  none  of  their  truth,  vigor  and  pertinence  and  can  be  profitably  read  even 
today.  They  are  typical  of  the  man,  earnest,  animated  and  permeated  through- 
out by  an  idealism  that  is  inspiring.  The  diction  is  matchless. 


76 


Considering  that  he  was  a self-appointed,  then  dismissed,  later  reinstated 
and  duly  appointed  professor  of  medicine,  his  utterances  about  “Medical 
Colleges”  are  of  peculiar  interest.  He  favored  a graded  course  of  four 
years,  thought  it  wise  to  demand  a classical  education  on  the  part  of  those 
who  wished  to  study  medicine,  and  emphasized  the  importance  of  bedside 
instruction.  To  those  who  would  like  to  be  professors  in  a medical  college, 
but  have  never  found  the  magic  key  that  opens  the  portals  of  a faculty- 
room  where  one  at  once  absorbs  wisdom,  dignity  and  that  higher  form  of 
humanity  that  the  common  herd  can  not  understand,  the  following  lines 
penned  by  Drake  may  be  a source  of  solace : 

“Did  the  best  talent  of  the  American  profession  find  its  way  into  our  numerous 
schools,  it  can  not  be  doubted  that  they  would  be  ably  sustained;  but  truth  and  justice 
require  me  to  say  that  this  is  not  always  the  case;  and  that  every  part  of  the  Union 
presents  men  of  loftier  genius,  sounder  learning  and  purer  eloquence  than  many  of 
those  whom  the  trustees  of  our  different  institutions  from  time  to  time  select  as  pro- 
fessors.” 

In  1832  the  cholera  visited  Cincinnati.  In  order  to  help  in  the  dissemina- 
tion of  knowledge  concerning  the  nature  of  the  epidemic,  Drake  published  a 
small  booklet  in  which  he  discussed  (1)  the  Geography  and  Chronology  of 
the  Disease,  (2)  the  Causes  of  the  Disease,  (3)  the  Symptoms  of  the  Dis- 
ease, (4)  the  Appearances  after  Death,  (5)  the  Nature  of  the  Disease,  (6) 
the  Treatment  of  the  Disease,  and  (7)  the  Prevention  and  Mitigation  of  the 
Disease.  His  notions  concerning  the  etiology  of  the  disease  are  interesting. 
He  sees  the  morbific  cause  in  the  existence  of  myriads  of  living  organisms 
(“animalcules”)  in  the  water.  They  are  too  small  to  be  seen  and  have  never 
been  isolated.  The  book  on  cholera  was  not  particularly  well  received  by 
the  profession  or  the  laity.  Drake  made  no  attempt  at  originality.  His 
object  was  to  present  whatever  was  known  on  the  subject  at  that  time.  Never 
having  seen  a case  of  cholera  before  his  book  was  written,  Drake  was  not 
thought  competent  to  write  authoratively  on  the  subject. 

Drake  wrote  and  published  many  minor  discourses  on  a variety  of  topics 
medical  and  otherwise.  He  even  wrote  religious  essays  for  religious  period- 
icals and  discourses  for  Sunday  meetings  of  medical  students.  In  the  latter 
discourses  he  discussed  the  moral  and  ethical  side  of  the  profession.  Among 
his  smaller  literary  productions  the  best  are  without  a doubt:  1.  “A  Dis- 
course on  Northern  Lakes  and  Southern  Invalids”  (1842).  2.  “Early  Med- 

ical Times  in  Cincinnati,”  and  “Medical  Journals  and  Libraries.”  In  the  first- 
named  discourse  Drake  displays  his  magnificent  powers  as  a word-painter  of 
natural  scenes  and  phenomena.  The  last  two  discourses  were  delivered  before 
the  Cincinnati  Medical  Library  Association,  January  9 and  10,  1852,  only 
ten  months  before  his  death.  They  are  a veritable  treasury  of  information 
for  all  those  who  are  interested  in  Cincinnati’s  medical  past. 

The  greatest  achievement  of  Drake’s  pen,  the  monument  he  erected  to  his 
own  literary  genius,  scientific  knowledge,  tireless  industry,  indefatigable  zeal 


77 


and  wonderful  originality,  was  his  stupendous  work  on  “The  Principal  Dis- 
eases of  the  Internal  Valley  of  North  America.”  Like  “Faust,”  which  was 
the  inspiration  of  Goethe’s  youth,  the  ever-present  thought  of  his  maturer 
years  and  the  finished  product  of  his  ripe  old  age,  Drake’s  great  work  was 
the  realization  of  a dream  which  pursued  its  author  throughout  his  whole 
professional  life.  The  seed  from  which  it  sprang  was  the  little  book  about 
Cincinnati  which  Drake  published  in  1810.  Twelve  years  later  he  announced 
his  intention  to  write  his  great  work,  and  asked  the  profession  of  the  West 
to  aid  him  in  the  gathering  of  material.  Shortly  after  he  undertook  the  first 
of  his  extensive  trips  of  observation,  which  he  continued  year  after  year  for 
almost  a quarter  of  a century.  He  covered  the  whole  Western  country  in 
these  trips,  studying  the  earth,  the  river,  the  plants,  the  animals,  the  people, 
the  air,  the  sky.  “From  Hudson  Bay  to  the  desert  lands  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
from  the  palm  groves  of  Florida  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi,  from 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  great  lakes  of  the  North,  to  the 
prairies  of  the  far  West  and  to  the  Sierras  of  the  Rocky  Mountains”  he 
observed,  investigated,  collected  and  compiled.  “In  the  cities  and  towns  of 
the  Middle  West,  in  the  villages  and  hamlets  of  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi, 
in  the  settlements  of  the  colonist,  in  the  reservations  and  wigwams  of  the 
Indian,  around  the  campfires  of  the  trappers,  in  the  barracks  of  the  frontier 
posts,  in  the  mines  of  the  unexplored  West”  he  worked  and  studied  inces- 
santly. There  were  no  authorities  to  quote  from,  no  reference  books  to  con- 
sult. He  traversed  the  land  in  every  direction  on  horseback,  on  foot,  by 
boat  or  railway.  He  endured  hardships  and  spent  time,  labor  and  money  in 
the  preparation  and  accomplishment  of  his  great  work.  Finally  its  first 
volume  appeared  in  1850,  nearly  nine  hundred  pages,  a veritable  encyclopedia 
of  knowledge  of  the  topography,  geography,  geology,  botany,  meteorology  and 
statistical  data  of  the  Western  country,  including  diseases,  their  classification, 
etiology,  diagnosis  and  treatment.  Two  years  after  his  death  Drs.  S.  Hanbury 
Smith,  of  Starling  Medical  College,  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Francis  C.  Smith, 
of  Philadelphia,  brought  out  the  second  volume  which  contained  nearly  one 
thousand  pages.  The  complete  title  of  the  work  is:  “A  Systematic  Treatise, 
historical,  etiological  and  practical,  on  the  Principal  Diseases  of  the  Interior 
Valley  of  North  America,  as  they  appear  in  the  Caucasian,  African,  Indian, 
and  Esquimaux  Varieties  of  its  Population.”  The  first  part  of  the  work  was 
published  by  Winthrop  P.  Smith  & Co.,  of  Cincinnati,  the  second  part  by 
Lippincott,  Crambo  & Co.,  Philadelphia. 

BOOK  I.— GENERAL  ETIOLOGY. 

Part  I. — Topography  and  Hydrography. 

Chapter  I. — Analysis  of  the  Hydrographic  System. — Altitude. — Configuration  and  Outline. 
Chapter  II. — Hydrographic  Basin  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. — Form,  Depth,  Currents  and 
Temperature. 

Chapter  III. — Coasts  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. — Vera  Cruz. — Tampico. — Galveston. — 
Cuba. — Key  West. — Pensacola.- — Mobile  and  minor  bays. 


78 


Chapter  IV. — Delta  of  the  Mississippi. — Rise,  Fall,  Depth,  and  Temperature  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi.— Materials. — Geological  Age, — Vegetation. 

Chapter  V. — Localities  of  the  Delta. — The  Balize. — New  Orleans. — Bluffs  of  the  Delta. 

Chapter  VI. — Medical  Topography  of  the  Bottoms  and  Bluffs  of  the  Mississippi. — 
Texas. — Yazoo. — St.  Francis. — American  Bottoms. 

Chapter  VII. — Medical  Topography  of  the  Regions  Beyond  the  Mississippi. — Basin  M 
the  Rio  del  Norte. — Southern  Texas. — Valley  of  the  Red  River. — The  Arkansas 
River. — The  Ozark  Mountains. — ^The  Missouri  River. 

Chapter  VIII. — Medical  Topography,  East  of  the  Mississippi  and  South  of  the  Ohio. — 
Appalachicola  Bay  and  River. — Alabama  River. — Tuscaloosa. — Pascagoula. — Pearl 
River. — Big  Black  and  Yazoo  Rivers. 

Chapter  IX. — The  Ohio  Basin. — Tennessee  River. — The  Cumberland. — Green  River. — Falls 
of  the  Ohio. — The  Kentucky. — The  Licking. — The  Ohio. — Kanawha  and  Monongahela. 

Chapter  X. — Basin  of  the  Ohio  on  the  North. — Alleghany. — Beaver. — Muskingum. — Hock- 
ing.— Scioto. — Miami  Basin. — City  of  Cincinnati. — White  River. — Wabash. 

Chapter  XL — Ohio  Basin. — The  Kaskaskia. — Illinois. — Rock  River. 

Chapter  XII. — Eastern  or  St.  Lawrence  Hydrographic  Basin. — Basin  of  Lake  Superior. — 
Lake  Michigan. — Lake  Huron. — The  Straits. 

Chapter  XHI. — Basin  of  Lake  Erie. — River  Rasin. — Maumee  Bay. — Sandusky  Basin. — 
Huron  River. — Black  River. — The  Cuyahoga. — The  Chagrin. — Grand  River. — Lake 
Shore. — City  of  Buffalo. 

Chapter  XIV. — Basin  of  Lake  Ontario. — Niagara  River. — Genesee  River. — Oswego 
River. — Black  River. — Coast  of  Lake  Ontario. — Kingston. 

Chapter  XV. — River  St.  Lawrence. — Ottawa. — City  of  Montreal. — Quebec. — Entering  of 
the  St.  Lawrence. — Parallel  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Chapter  XVI. — The  Hudson  and  its  Basin. — The  Hudson  Hydrographic  Basin. — Conclu- 
sion of  Topography. 

Part  II. — Climatic  Etiology, 

Chapter  I. — Nature,  Dynamics,  and  Elements  of  Climate. 

Chapter  II. — Temperature  of  the  Interior  Valley. — Curves  of  Mean  Temperature. 

Chapter  III. — Atmospheric  Pressure  of  the  Interior  Valley. — Barometrical  Observations. 

Chapter  IV. — Winds  of  the  Interior  Valley. — Introductory  Observations. — Tabular  Views 
of  the  Wind  at  Our  Military  Posts. — Tabular  Views  of  the  Wind  at  Various  Civil 
Stations. — Order,  Relative  Prevalence,  Characteristics,  and  Effects  of  our  Various 
Winds. 

Chapter  V. — Aqueous  Meteors. — Rain  and  Snow. — Clear,  Cloudy,  Rainy,  and  Snowy 
Days. — Humidity. 

Chapter  VI. — Electrical  Phenomena. — Distribution  of  Plants  and  Animals. — Atmospheric 
Electricity. — Thunder  Storms. — Hurricanes. — Climatic  Distribution  of  Plants  and 
Animals. 

Part  HI. — Physiological  and  Social  Etiology. 

Chapter  I. — Population. — Division  Into  Varieties. — Caucasian  Variety. — Historical,  Chron- 
ological, and  Geographical  Analysis. — Physiological  Characteristics. — Statistical  Physi- 
ology. 

Chapter  H. — Modes  of  Living. — Diet. — Solid  Food. — Liquid  Diet  and  Table  Drinks. — 
Water. — Alcoholic  Beverages.' — Tobacco. 

Chapter  HI. — Clothing,  Lodgings,  Bathing,  Habitations,  and  Shade  Trees. — Clothing. — 
Lodgings. — Bathing. — Habitations. — Shade  Trees, 

Chapter  IV. — Occupations,  Pursuits,  Exercise  and  Recreations. — Agricultural  Labors. — 
Commercial  Pursuits. — Mining  and  Smelting. — Salt  Making. — Mechanical  and  Chem- 
ical Arts  and  Manufactures. — Exercise,  Recreation  and  Amusement. — Conclusion  of 
Book  First. 


79 


BOOK  IL— FEBRILE  DISEASES. 

Part  I. — Autumnal  Fever. 

Chapter  I. — Nomenclature,  Varieties,  and  Geographical  Limits  of  Autumnal  Fever. 
Chapter  II. — Speculation  on  the  Cause  of  Autumnal  Fever. 

Chapter  III. — Mode  of  Action  and  First  Effects  of  the  Remote  Cause  of  Autumnal  Fever. 
Chapter  IV. — Varieties  and  Development  of  Autumnal  Fever. 

Chapter  VI. — Intermittent  Fever. — Simple  and  Inflammatory. 

Chapter  VI. — Malignant  Intermittent  Fever. — General  History. — Symptomatology. — Pa- 
thology and  Complications. — Treatment  in  the  Paroxysm. — Treatment  in  the  Inter- 
mission.— Conclusion. 

Chapter  VII. — Remittent  Autumnal  Fever. — Simple  and  Inflammatory. — Considered  To- 
gether.— Symptoms. — T reatment. 

Chapter  VIII. — Malignant  Remittent  Fever.  — General  Remarks.  — Diagnosis  and  Pa- 
thology.— Treatment. 

Chapter  IX. — Protracted,  Relapsing  and  Vernal  Intermittents. — Chronic  and  Relapsing 
Cases. — Vernal  Intermittents. — Treatment,  Hygienic  and  Medical. 

Chapter  X. — Pathological  Anatomy  and  Consequences  of  Autumnal  Fever. — Mortality  of 
Autumnal  Fever. — Condition  of  the  Blood  in  Autumnal  Fever. — Pathological  Anatomy 
of  Intermittent  Fever. — Pathological  Anatomy  of  Remittent  Fever. — Consequences  of 
Autumnal  Fever. 

Chapter  XL — Consequences  of  Autumnal  Fever. — Diseases  of  the  Spleen:  General  Views. 
— Splenitis. — Suppuration  of  the  Spleen. — Enlargement  of  the  Spleen. — Diseases  of  the 
Liver. — Dropsy. — Periodical  Neuralgia. 

Part  H. — Yellow  Fever. 

Chapter  I. — Nomenclature,  Geography  and  Local  History. 

Chapter  H. — Local  History. — New  Orleans. 

Chapter  HI. — East  and  Southeast  of  the  Delta  of  the  Mississippi. 

Chapter  IV. — Places  to  the  Westward  and  Northwest  of  New  Orleans. 

Chapter  V. — Places  up  the  Mississippi. 

Chapter  VI. — Etiological  Deductions. 

Chapter  VH. — Symptoms. 

Chapter  VHI. — Pathological  Anatomy. 

Chapter  IX. — Pathology. 

Chapter  X. — Self-limitation. — Prevention. — T reatment. 

Chapter  XI. — Miscellaneous  Observations. 

Part  HI. — Typhous  Fevers. 

Chapter  I. — Introduction, — General  Epidemic-r-Typhous  Constitution. 

Chapter  H. — Local  History  of  Typhous  Eever. 

Chapter  HI. — Local  History,  continued. 

Chapter  IV. — Local  History,  continued. 

Chapter  V. — Local  History,  continued. 

Chapter  VI. — Local  TIistory,  continued. 

Chapter  VH. — Continued  Typhous  Fever. 

Chapter  VHI. — Irish  Emigrant  Fever. 

Chapter  IX. — Etiological  Generalizations. 

Chapter  X. — Etiological  Generalizations,  continued. 

Chapter  XI. — Classification  of  Continued  Fevers. 

Chapter  XII. — Classification  of  Continued  Fevers. 

Chapter  XHI. — Pathological  Anatomy  of  Typhous  Fevers. 

Chapter  XIV. — Pathology  of  Typhous  Fever. 

80 


Chapter  XV. — Treatment  of  Typhous  Fever. 

Chapter  XVI. — Relations  of  Typhous  Fever  with  Yellow,  Remittent  and  other  Febrile 
Diseases. — Seven-day  Typhus. — Typhoid  Stage. 

P.\RT  IV. — Eruptive  Fevers. 

Chapter  I. — Small  Pox. — Variola. 

Chapter  II. — Cow  Pox. — Vaccinia. — Variola  Vaccinia. 

Chapter  III. — Modified  Small  Pox. — Varioloid. 

Chapter  IV. — Varicella,  or  Chicken  Pox. 

Chapter  V. — Measles. — Rubeola. 

Chapter  VI. — Scarlet  Fever. — Scarlatina. 

Chapter  VII. — Rose  Rash. — Roseola;  also  Lichen  and  Strophulus. 

Chapter  VIII. — Nettle  Rash. — Urticaria. 

Chapter  IX. — Erysipelas, 

P.\RT  V. — Phlogistic  Eevers. — 'I'he  Phlegmasiae. 

Chapter  I. — Comparison  with  the  Previous  Groups. 

Chapter  II. — Etiology  of  the  Phlogistic  Eevers. 

Chapter  III. — Rise  and  Establishment  of  the  Simple,  or  Common,  Plegmasiae. 

Chapter  IV. — Progress,  Termination,  and  Anatomical  Characters, 

Chapter  V. — Indications  and  Means  of  Cure. 

Chapter  VI. — Phlegmasiae  of  the  Central  Organs  of  Innervation,  Brain,  and  Spinal  Cord, 
Chapter  VII. — Phlegmasiae  of  the  Central  Organs,  continued. 

Chapter  VIII. — Inflammation  of  the  Nervous  Centers,  continued. 

Chapter  IX. — Inflammation  of  the  Nervous  Centers,  continued. 

Chapter  X. — Inflammation  of  the  Organs  of  Motion. — Rheumatism, 

Chapter  XL — Phlegmasiae  of  the  Respiratory  Organs. — Etiology. 

Chapter  XII. — Mucous  Inflammation  of  the  Respiratory  Organs, 

Chapter  XIII, — Laryngismus  Thidulus. — Pertussus. — Asthma. — Hay  Fever. 

Chapter  XIV. — Acute  and  Chronic  Bronchitis. 

Chapter  XV. — Pneumonia  and  Pleurisy. 

Chapter  XVI. — Typhoid  and  Bilious  Pneumonitis. 

Chapter  XVII. — Pleurisy,  Acute  and  Chronic. 

Chapter  XVIII. — Tubercular  Pneumonitis,  or  Phthisis  Pulmonalis. 

Chapter  XIX. — Tubercular  Pneumonitis,  continued. 

Chapter  XX. — Cardiac  Inflammations. 

The  reception  of  the  work  by  the  profession  was  worthy  of  the  efifort  and 
of  the  author.  In  1850  the  American  Medical  Association  met  in  Cincinnati. 
Dr.  Alfred  Stille,  of  Philadelphia,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  medical  lit- 
erature, reported  on  the  latest  medical  publications,  and  devoted  the  greatest 
part  of  his  report  to  an  analysis  of  Drake’s  work,  referring  to  it  as  an  ‘‘achieve- 
ment of  which  every  doctor  in  America  should  be  proud.”  Drake  was  present, 
and,  upon  arising,  was  greeted  with  a demonstration  such  as  had  never  been 
accorded  to  any  one  on  a similar  occasion.  The  cheers  and  the  clapping  of 
hands  were  deafening  and  lasted  for  several  minutes.  Again  and  again  the  dem- 
onstrations started  anew.  Finally,  when  the  noise  had  subsided,  Drake  wanted 
to  thank  his  colleagues,  but  his  voice  failed  him.  He  seemed  to  be  growing 
faint  and  was  helped  to  a chair.  He  covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and 


81 


wept  like  a child.  His  friends  crowded  around  him.  To  Dr.  Stille,  who 
wanted  to  comfort  him,  he  said,  when  he  had’  gained  his  self-possession : ‘T 
have  not  lived  in  vain,  but  I wish  father,  mother  and  Harriet  were  here !” 

What  is  the  position  which  Daniel  Drake’s  great  work  occupies  in  the 
world’s  medical  literature  and  more  particularly  among  the  medical  books 
written  by  Americans?  Alexander  von  Humboldt  pronounced  it  “a  treasure 
among  scientific  works.”  B.  Silliman,  of  Yale,  the  foremost  American  phy- 
sicist of  his  time,  called  it  “an  enduring  monument  of  American  genius.” 
Samuel  D.  Gross,  who  was  not  given  to  laudatory  effusions,  calls  Drake  “the 
American  Hippocrates  whose  work,  like  those  of  his  immortal  prototype,  is 
indestructible  and  challenges  at  once  our  admiration  and  gratitude.”  Edward 
D.  Mansfield,  Drake’s  learned  biographer,  refers  to  Drake’s  work  as  “the 
greatest  work  of  pure  science  ever  produced  in  America”.  Charles  D.  Meigs, 
the  distinguished  Philadelphian,  says  that  “it  would  be  impossible  in  a mere 
review  to  do  justice  to  the  quality  of  this  vast  work.”  James  T.  Whittaker 
remarked  that  “the  immensity  of  Drake’s  work  is  growing  larger  as  the  years 
roll  by.”  P.  S.  Conner  says,  “It  is  the  work  of  genius  — this  expresses  it  all !” 
Wm.  H.  Taylor  says  that  “too  much  praise  could  not  possibly  be  bestowed 
on  Drake’s  great  work.”  James  Gregory  Mumford,  of  Boston,  whose  recent 
“Narrative  of  Medicine  in  America”  contains  a very  readable  account  of 
Drake’s  life  and  labors,  refers  to  the  sparsity  of  really  great  medical  books 
that  originated  in  our  country  and  observes : “We  can  not  make  a great 
list,  but  we  can  make  a strong  one  and  Drake’s  work  is  among  the  strongest.” 
Speaking  of  Drake’s  hardships  and  labors  in  preparing  this  work,  Mumford 
says : “It  is  impossible  to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  magnitude  of 
Drake’s  labors  beside  which  those  of  Hercules  himself  seem  very  modest 
affairs.” 

Last,  but  not  least,  Drake’s  rugged  and  vigorous  Anglo-Saxon  English 
is  a feature  of  the  work  not  to  be  forgotten.  Drake’s  style  does  not  possess 
the  academic  correctness  of  John  D.  Godman’s,  the  aesthetic  quality  of 
James  T.  Whittaker’s,  or  the  scholastic  finish  of  Roberts  Bartholow’s,  but 
Drake  surpasses  all  these  masters  of  style  and  diction  in  his  elementary  and 
irrepressible  vigor.  No  American  physician  has  ever  put  forth  the  fiery, 
almost  explosive  temperament,  terse,  pointed,  strong  and  incisive  English, 
ever-present  and  overtowering  individuality  as  Daniel  Drake. 

No  physician  ever  gave  to  the  West,  to  the  profession  of  this  Western 
country  and  particularly  to  the  profession  in  Cincinnati  as  much  of  lasting 
quality  as  he.  What  have  we,  his  heirs  and  beneficiaries,  done  in  remem- 
brance and  appreciation  of  his  labors?  Does  the  present  Medical  Department 
of  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  the  technical  successor  of  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio,  perpetuate  the  heritage  of  Christian  philanthropy,  broad  pa- 
triotism and  scientific  altruism  which  he  left  to  his  beloved  home  town? 
Does  the  spirit  of  that  great  humanitarian  hover  over  the  Cincinnati  Hos- 
pital where  not  even  a modest  tablet  reminds  the  present  generation  of  the 


82 


master  who  gave  the  institution  its  existence?  Has  the  Cincinnati  Academy 
of  Medicine  done  anything  to  honor  the  most  illustrious  physician  of  the 
West,  the  man  who  was  to  the  W'est  what  Benjamin  Rush  was  to  the  East? 
Is  this  great  American  patriot,  pioneer,  physician  and  scientist,  less  worthy 
of  honor  than  Ephraim  MacDowell,  whose  monument  in  Danville,  Ky.,  links 
the  ambitions  of  the  grateful  present  to  the  achievements  of  the  heroic 
past?  The  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  on  June  19,  1900,  in  the 
City  of  W^ashington,  honored  the  man  whom  homoeopaths  the  world  over 
revere  as  a great  figure  in  medical  history  and  as  the  founder  of  their 
school,  Hahnemann.  They  erected  a magnificent  monument  to  his  memory 
which  proclaims  to  the  world  the  fact  that  he  is  not  forgotten,  that  he  is 
appreciated  by  those  who  follow  him.  The  medical  profession  of  the  West 
is  numerically  by  far  stronger  than  those  who  gave  to  the  City  of  Wash- 
ington the  colossal  statue  of  Hahnemann.  Yet  nothing  has  been  done  to 
remind  the  rising  generation  of  doctors  of  that  greatest  of  all  Western 
physician,  Daniel  Drake,  who,  according  to  an  entirely  unbiased  authority 
(H.  W.  Eelter,  author  of  “A  History  of  Eclecticism”)  is  “one  of  the  greatest 
figures  and  most  admirable  characters  in  the  medical  history  of  our  country.” 

The  respectful,  nay,  even  reverential,  spirit  that  prompted  the  people  of 
classical  Greece  to  pay  tribute  to  the  great  characters  of  the  past  and  to 
surround  the  memory  of  heroic  soldiers,  statesmen  and  more  particularly 
famous  poets  and  philosophers  with  all  the  glamor  of  a mythical  cult  and 
worship,  was  typical  of  ancient  culture  and  civilization.  It  is  this  pride  in 
the  traditions  of  the  past  and  in  the  struggles  and  achievements  of  the  great 
men  of  the  times  gone  by,  that  is  the  rock  upon  which  the  self-conscious 
spirit,  the  self-respect,  the  natioMal  pride  of  republics,  kingdoms  and  em- 
pires rest.  It  is  the  soul,  the  life-element  of  patriotism.  Only  barbarians 
have  no  love  for  the  ideals  that  are  embodied  in  the  traditions  of  their  tribes 
and  races.  Who  has  not  been  inspired  by  the  sight  of  the  statue  of  Nathan 
Hale  in  the  City  Park  of  New  York?  The  incessant  clatter  and  grind  of  a 
thousand  hoofs  and  wheels  of  industry  and  commerce  that  accompany  a 
great  city’s  mad  chase  for  the  Almighty  Dollar,  can  not  drown  the  voice 
that  speaks  so  eloquently  out  of  the  wan  countenance  of  the  heroic  youth 
whose  only  regret  was  that  he  had  but  one  life  to  give  to  his  country.  To 
gladly  listen  to  the  voices  that  faintly  reverberate  through  the  aisles  of  time 
and  tell  us  of  the  heroic  past,  to  try  and  understand  the  language  of  the  great 
souls  that  speak  to  us  out  of  musty  tombs  and  crumbling  monuments  is  a 
form  of  education  that  makes  us  better  understand  and  more  deeply  appre- 
ciate our  own  purpose  in  life.  It  is  proper  and  profitable  for  every  true 
American  to  seek  his  ideals  in  the  lives  of  such  models  as  Washington  and 
Franklin.  Every  loyal  son  of  Ohio  can  turn  to  the  noble  countenance  of 
McKinley  and  thus  become  a truer  man  and  better  citizen  of  the  old  Buclceye 
State.  Every  man  who  ministers  to  the  sick  bodies  of  his  fellowmen  in  the 
valley  of  the  Ohio  River  can  peer  through  the  mists  of  time  and  be  inspired 


at  the  sight  of  Daniel  Drake’s  heroic  figure  that  looms  up  in  solemn  and 
silent  grandeur.  To  love  and  appreciate  the  past  means  to  serve  and  secure 
the  future. 

When  will  the  physicians  of  the  great  Interior  Valley  of  North  America 
become  conscious  of  their  duty  towards  the  memory  of  him  whose  immortal 
contributions  to  his  profession  were  only  equalled  by  his  imperishable  work 
as  a Western  pioneer  and  patriot? 


t 


84 


CHAPTER  VTI. 


MEDICAL  CINCINNATI  AFTER  1800. 

/ look  to  the  doctors  to  resuscitate  society. — Carl  Riimelin. 


The  conditions  of  medical  practice  in  the  Western  country  one  hun- 
dred years  ago  were  in  keeping  with  the  unsettled  state  of  society 
generally.  Most  of  the  physicians  were  empirics,  although  among 
them  there  were  men  of  fine  general  education  and  great  natural  ability. 
There  were  no  medical  schools  in  the  West.  The  oldest  medical  school  in 
America  was  of  comparatively  recent  date.  In  1765  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, through  the  efforts  of  John  Morgan  and  William  Shippen,  who 
had  the  powerful  support  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  opened  its  medical  depart- 
ment, the  first  medical  school  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Three  years  later 
King's  College,  afterwards  called  Columbia  College,  was  organized  in  New 
York.  The  Harvard  Medical  School  followed  in  17(S4.  Dartmouth  sprang 
into  existence  at  the  dawn  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  University  of 
Maryland  was  founded  in  1807,  and  Yale  Medical  School  in  1810,  There 
was  no  medical  school  in  the  West  before  1817,  when  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity, in  Lexington,  Ky.,  opened  its  medical  department.  Drake  prac- 
ticed medicine  for  ten  years  before  he  attended  a course  of  lectures,  and 
was  granted  a diploma.  Hardly  any  of  the  earlier  physicians  in  this  part  of 
the  country  were  graduates  in  medicine. 

The  first  attempt  to  regulate  the  practice  of  medicine  and  give  those 
engaged  in  the  latter  a distinct  legal  standing  in  the  community,  was  made 
in  1811,  when  the  Ohio  Legislature  divided  the  State  into  five  districts, 
naming  three  censors  in  each  whose  duties  it  was  to  issue  licenses  to  those 
desiring  to  practice  medicine.  The  candidates  were  examined  by  these  cen- 
sors, who  met  in  Cincinnati,  Chillicothe,  Athens,  Zanesville  and  Steuben- 
ville, respectively,  for  each  of  the  five  districts.  This  act  of  the  Legislature 
was  repealed  the  following  year  when  the  “Medical  Society  of  the  State  of 
Ohio”  was  created  a legal  body  to  examine  candidates  and  issue  licenses. 
The  State  was  divided  into  seven  districts  (Cincinnati,  Chillicothe,  Athens, 
Zanesville,  Steubenville,  Warren  and  Dayton).  Under  this  law  the  first 
State  Convention  was  held  in  Chillicothe,  at  least  the  attempt  was  made  to 
hold  it.  It  was  in  mid-winter  and  only  five  delegates  appeared  (Canby,  of 
Lebanon ; Parsons,  of  Columbus ; Drake,  of  Cincinnati ; Scott  and  Edmiston, 
of  Chillicothe).  The  following  year  a new  law  was  passed  which  substan- 
tially re-enacted  the  law  of  1811,  with  the  exception  that  it  divided  the  State 


85 


into  seven  districts  instead  of  five,  leaving  ont  Zanesville  and  adding  Newark, 
Warren  and  Dayton.  Penalties  for  practicing  without  a license  were  fixed 
at  $70,  or  at  $5  for  each  offense.  The  acts  passed  in  1817,  1821  and  1824 
were  substantially  the  same  as  that  of  1813.  In  1818  the  law  recognized  the 
right  of  graduates  to  obtain  a license  without  examination.  In  1824  twenty 
medical  districts  were  created  with  a “Medical  Society”  for  each,  the  persons 
to  constitute  these  societies  are  named,  the  organization,  rights  and  duties 
of  the  societies  defined  and  all  provisions  made  for  proper  regulation  of 
medical  practice.  This  law  called  for  a “Convention  of  Delegates  from  the 
District  Societies”  to  be  the  executive  body  for  the  administration,  interpreta- 
tion and  application  of  the  medical  laws  of  the  State.  The  first  one  of  these 
conventions  was  held  in  1827  and  presided  over  by  John  Woolley,  of  Cin- 
cinnati. This  convention  adopted  a plan  and  constitution  of  a State  Medical 
Society  to  meet  in  Columbus  in  1829.  An  amusing  account  of  the  first  con- 
vention (1827)  can  be  found  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Ohio  State  Society 
(1857).  The  historian  says:  “Towards  the  latter  part  of  that  year,  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  horsemen  might  have  been  seen  wending  their  way,  through 
mud  and  mire,  along  the  different  roads  that  centered  in  the  village  of  Co- 
lumbus. Their  personal  appearance  somewhat  resembled  that  of  a company 
of  men  crawling  out  of  a canal,  where  they  had  been  excavating  on  a rainy 
day.” 

Sanitary  legislation  in  Cincinnati  seems  to  have  begun  in  1802  when  the 
council  of  the  town  passed  an  ordinance  to  prevent  carcasses  of  animals  from 
lying  in  any  of  the  streets,  alleys,  lanes  or  commons.  Fines  are  imposed 
on  persons  who  violate  the  ordinance  by  permitting  nuisances.  The  ordinance 
also  regulates  the  slaughter  of  animals  by  butchers,  compelling  the  latter  to 
slaughter  only  in  a specially  appointed  slaughter-house.  A smallpox  ordi- 
nance pertaining  to  isolation  of  patients,  vaccination,  etc.,  was  passed  in 
1804.  Death  returns  by  physicians  were  made  compulsory  by  an  ordinance 
passed  by  council  in  1813.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the  present  system  of 
keeping  vital  statistics.  Additional  smallpox  regulations  were  adopted  in 
1816.  An  ordinance  creating  the  office  of  health-officer  was  passed  in  1821. 
A Board  of  Health,  consisting  of  five  members,  was  established  in  1826. 
The  office  of  coroner  was  created  by  General  St.  Clair  in  1789. 

In  1819  Cincinnati  had  5,402  white  males,  4,471  white  females,  215  colored 
males,  195  colored  females,  altogether  10,283  inhabitants.  This  was  the 
year  of  publication  of  the  first  City  Directory  and  the  birth-year  of  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio.  The  physicians  who  were  practicing  in  Cincinnati  at 
that  time  were  Wm.  Barnes  who  had  an  office  at  157  Main  Street  and  lived 
at  7 W.  Fourth  Street;  Oliver  P.  Baldwin,  35  W.  Front  Street;  Chas.  N. 
Barbour,  230  Main  Street;  John  Cranmer,  39  Main  Street;  Daniel  Drake,  91 
Main  Street  (h.  Third  and  Ludlow)  ; Daniel  Dyer,  Walnut,  between  Fourth 
and  Fifth  Streets;  Jonathan  Easton,  Fifth,  between  Race  and  Elm;  Isaac 
Hough,  51  Main  (house  55  M.)  ; Vincent  C.  Marshall,  133  Main;  Eben.  H. 


86 


Pierson,  87  Sycamore  (h.  85  Second);  Samuel  Ramsey,  14  W.  Front;  Abel 
Slayback,  194  Main,  (h.  Fifth,  between  Main  and  Sycamore)  ; John  Sellman, 
26  E.  Front;  John  Wooler,  170  Main;  Coleman  Rogers,  Fourth  and  Walnut; 
Thos.  Morehead,  24  E.  Front;  John  A.  Hallam,  6 Lower  Market;  Josiah 
Whitman,  Second  Street;  Edw.  Y.  Kemper,  Eifth  and  Race;  John  Douglass, 
228  Main;  Ithiel  Smead,  Sixth  and  Smith;  Elijah  Slack,  Eourth,  between 
Elm  and  Plum,  is  given  as  a physician  although  he  was  a preacher  and  a 
chemist.  Truman  Bishop,  a Methodist  minister,  came  here  in  1818  and  prac- 
ticed medicine  until  1829  when  he  died.  Edward  Y.  Kemper  was  one  of 
Doctor  Goforth’s  pupils.  He  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1783  and  was  the  son 
of  Rev.  James  Kemper,  who  is  referred  to  elsewhere.  Doctor  Kemper  died 
in  Cincinnati  in  1863,  probably  the  last  survivor  of  that  little  band  of  medical 
students  who  gathered  in  Cincinnati  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  Eor  a short  time  John  Moorhead  and  John  Sellman  shared 
offices.  The  first  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Cincinnati  was  Isaac  G.  Burnet,  who 
had  his  office  at  49  Water  Street.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  William  Burnet, 
one  of  the  earliest  physicians  in  Cincinnati.  Jeremiah  Tibbets,  barber,  sur- 
geon and  hair-dresser,  popularly  known  as  the  “Emperor  of  the  West,”  had 
his  shop  on  Second  Street,  between  Sycamore  Street  and  Broadway.  The 
physicians  named,  twenty-two  in  number,  ministered  to  the  physical  ills  of 
nearly  ten  thousand  people.  In  1830  the  population  of  Cincinnati  was  about 
25,000,  with  fifty-eight  physicians. 

A few  of  the  doctors  named  had  the  desirable  clientele  of  the  city,  the 
few  wealthy  people  like  the  Ludlows,  Ganos  and  others  who  did  not  settle 
in  this  Western  country  empty-handed,  but  came,  mostly  from  the  East,  with  a 
comfortable  allowance  of  the  world’s  goods.  Of  these,  however,  there  were 
not  many.  The  majority  of  the  people  were  poor  and  their  condition  was 
doubly  uncertain  on  account  of  the  hard  times  that  prevailed  for  nearly  four 
decades  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  Miami  lands.  The  stringency  of 
the  economic  conditions  was  accentuated  by  a number  of  financial  panics  that 
swept  disastrously  over  the  land  and  wrecked  banks  and  business  houses, 
notably  in  1820  when  the  failure  of  the  Miami  Banking  & Export  Co.  caused  a 
riot  and  bloodshed.  That  the  practice  of  medicine  under  such  conditions  in- 
volved much  labor  and  self-sacrifice  can  be  understood.  There  was  much 
country  practice  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  “The  doctor  had  to  be  his  own 
pharmacist.  He  made  his  own  pills  and  tinctures,  compounded  all  his  medi- 
cines, and  generally  carried  all  he  required,  as,  with  saddle-bags  across  his 
horse,  he  wended  his  way  from  house  to  house,  administering  to  the  sick 
and  ailing,  always  welcome  and  often  regarded  as  an  angel  of  mercy,  although 
his  homely  garb  and  rough  appearance  looked  anything  but  angelic.  His 
life  was  one  of  peril,  toil  and  privation.  The  country  was  new  and  thinly 
settled,  and  his  rides  were  long  and  solitary;  his  patients  were  scattered 
over  a wide  expanse  of  territory ; his  travel  was  mostly  performed  on  horse- 
back, and  its  extent  and  duration  was  measured  by  the  endurance  of  him- 


87 


self  and  his  horse.  He  struggled  through  almost  unfathomable  mud  and 
swamps  and  swollen  streams.  He  was  often  compelled  to  make  long  detours 
to  cross  or  avoid  the  treacherous  slough.  His  rest  was  often  taken  in  the 
saddle,  sometimes  in  the  cabin  of  the  lonely  settler.  From  necessity  he  was 
self-reliant  and  courageous.  Every  emergency,  however  grave,  he  was  gen- 
erally compelled  to  meet  alone  and  unaided,  as  it  was  seldom  assistance  could 
be  procured  without  too  great  an  expenditure  of  time  and  money.  His  fees 
were  small  and  his  services  were  often  paid  for  in  promises,  seldom  in  money, 
of  which  there  was  but  little.  The  products  of  the  country,  called  by  the 
people  “truck,’'  was  the  general  and  most  reliable  circulating  medium,  and 
with  this  the  doctor  was  usually  paid.  But  there  is  a bright  side  to  this  pic- 
ture. The  kindly  life  of  a new  country,  and  the  dependence  of  its  inhabitants 
upon  each  other,  gave  the  doctor  a strong  hold  upon  the  affection  and  grati- 
tude of  those  among  whoni  he  lived  and  labored.  They  loved  him  when 
living,  and  mourned  for  him  when  dead.”  This  graphic  description  was 
given  by  a man  who  lived  among  these  early  Cincinnati  doctors.  Dr.  Robert 
Boal,  a student  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1827.  He  also  refers  to 
the  few  fashionable  doctors  who  did  their  work  in  powdered  wig,  cocked  hat 
and  knee  breeches,  and  were  able  to  feather  their  nest  in  the  service  of  the 
well-to-do.  The  average  doctor  of  those  days  was  satisfied  with  25  to  50 
cents  for  a visit.  Half  of  this  and  sometimes  the  whole  of  it  went  for 
provender  for  his  horse  or  produce  for  his  family.  If  he  had  to  sit  up  the 
whole  night,  he  got  $1.00. 

In  1819  there  were  seven  stores  in  Cincinnati  where  medicines  could  be 
purchased.  Caleb  Bates,  at  No.  19  Lower  Market,  was  considered  the  leading- 
apothecary.  Dr.  John  Woolley  had  bought  out  Drake  & Co.,  on  Lower  Main 
Street  and  was  considered  a progressive  man  in  his  line.  His  soda  fountain, 
purchased  in  Philadelphia  in  1815  by  Daniel  Drake,  was  a great  attraction. 
Oliver  Fairchild  had  a drug  store  at  19  Main  Street.  Caleb  Bates  remained 
in  business  until  1849  when  he  was  succeeded  by  James  Burdsal.  In  1829  the 
leading  druggists  in  addition  to  those  named,  were  J.  B.  Baird,  Sycamore, 
between  Fifth  and  Sixth;  Henry  Clark,  No.  G Lower  Market;  Goodwin, 
Ashton  & Cleaveland  (O.  G.  Goodwin,  Daniel  A.  Ashton  and  S.  B.  C.  Cleave- 
land),  Upper  Market  Space;  William  Greene,  50  Lower  Market;  James  H. 
Latham,  213  Main  Street;  William  Woolley,  Upper  Market  Space;  Charles  T. 
Minche,  16  Lower  Market;  John  F.  Stall  & Co.,  Main,  between  Third  and 
Fourth,  which  was  four  doors  below  the  L^nited  States  Bank,  and  who  an- 
nounced “Medicine  chests  complete — physicians’  prescriptions  and  orders  from 
the  country  carefully  attended  to,”  and  last,  but  certainly  not  least,  William 
S.  Merrell,  Sixth  and  Western  Row,  who  called  his  the  “Western  Market 
Drug  Store,”  and  announced  “Prescriptions  prepared  with  greatest  fidelity 
and  accuracy.” 

Pulaski  Smith  who  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  kept  a drug 
store  in  the  early  thirties  on  Main  Street,  near  Ninth.  He  sold  out  to 


88 


Samuel  Biirdsal,  who  was  a druggist  in  this  town  for  more  than  fifty  years. 
This  old  drug  store  with  its  snake  jars  and  dingy  interior  was  an  historic 
place.  When  William  H.  Harrison,  long  before  he  thought  of  becoming 
President,  was  clerk  of  the  courts,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  lounging  around 
this  quaint  old  drug  shop,  talking  politics  to  some  of  the  other  men  who 
would  congregate  there,  and  occasionally  ask  Old  Sammy,  as  Burdsal  was 
generally  called,  for  a little  soda  “with  a stick  in  it”.  This  expression  was 
en  vogue  then  as  it  is  now.  The  old  shop  passed  out  of  existence  in  1895. 
Soda  water  was  probably  more  in  demand  before  than  since  the  war.  In 
the  fifties  there  was  a drug  store  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  Vine 
Streets  that  had  the  greatest  soda  water  business  in  the  West.  Later  W.  B. 
Chapman,  elected  president  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  in 
1854,  made  money  and  a reputation  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Sixth  and 
Vine  Streets.  He  had  a soda  fountain  that  was  considered  one  of  the  attrac- 
tions in  Cincinnati.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  nectar  syrup  was  orig- 
inated in  this  city.  Its  inventor  was  C.  August  Smith,  who  had  a drug  store 
at  Fourth  and  Race  Streets  in  the  sixties.  During  the  cholera  year,  1849, 
many  druggists  reaped  a harvest  making  and  selling  Burgundy  Pitch  Plasters 
which  people  would  wear  on  the  stomach  to  ward  off  the  cholera. 

After  1840  the  drug  business  was  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Germans. 
G.  A.  Hiller  was  probably  the  first  German  pharmacist  here.  He  held  forth 
on  Lower  Market.  William  Karrmann,  famed  as  a connoisseur  and  col- 
lector of  paintings  and  violins,  was  located  at  Fifth  and  Smith  Streets  as 
early  as  1845.  Adolph  Fennel,  who  came  here  in  1851,  and  was  located  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Adne  and  Eighth  Streets  for  many  years,  was  an 
able  exponent  of  scientific  pharmacy.  Edward  S.  Wayne,  who  at  different 
times  held  chairs  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery  and  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy,  was  with 
Suire  and  Eckstein  in  their  great  drug  establishment  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  Fourth  and  Vine  Streets.  His  salary  was  $7,000  a year,  considered  at  that 
time  the  largest  paid  to  any  chemist  in  this  country.  Fennel  and  Wayne  were 
prominent  among  the  men  who  started  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy, 
the  third  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  In  1848  the  American  Phar- 
maceutical Association  was  founded.  Through  this  Association  a charter 
was  obtained  in  1850  for  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy.  The  first 
home  of  the  school  was  in  Gordon's  Hall  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Eighth 
Street  and  Western  Row.  W.  J.  M.  Gordon,  a prominent  pharmacist  in  those 
days,  had  a drug  store  downstairs.  Above  the  store  was  a large  room, 
known  as  Gordon’s  Hall.  The  College  of  Pharmacy  had  its  humble  begin- 
ning in  this  hall.  Gordon  himself  was  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  school, 
and  should  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  pioneers  of  scientific  pharmacy  in 
the  West.  The  school  vegetated  for  a number  of  years  in  Gordon’s  Hall 
and  subsequently  in  a room  in  the  Cincinnati  College,  and  was  finally  aban- 
doned. After  the  civil  war  a reorganization  of  the  school  was  decided  upon. 


89 


The  plan  did  not  go  into  operation  until  1871  when  the  school  was  established 
at  the  southwest  corner  of  Walnut  Street  and  Gano  Alley,  whence  it  moved 
into  a house  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  John  Streets.  The  faculty 
consisted  of  E.  S.  Wayne  (materia  medica  and  pharmacy),  J.  F.  Judge 


E.  S.  Wayne 


Adoeph  Fennee 


(chemistry),  and  F.  H.  Renz  (botany).  The  following  year  Wm.  B.  Chap- 
man was  added  to  the  faculty.  The  first  course  was  attended  by  fifty-one 
students.  Later  on  the  institution  moved  into  one  of  the  historic  buildings  of 
the  city,  the  old  Catharine  Street  Baptist  Church.  Catharine  Street  was  at 
one  time  the  name  of  Court  Street.  In  the  early  days  the  building  fronted 
the  Baptist  Cemetery  which  was  to  the  east  of  the  old  Methodist  graveyard. 
Since  1871  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy  has  been  in  continuous  opera- 
tion. The  early  founders  of  the  college  were  among  the  ablest  exponents 
of  chemistry,  botany  and  scientific  pharmacy  in  the  country.  Adolph  Fennel 


J.  F.  Judge 


Wm.  B.  Chapman 


90 


was  born  in  Cassel,  Germany,  in  1824.  He  attended  the  Polytechnic  Institute 
in  his  native  town  and  was  employed  as  a chemist  and  pharmacist  in  Stutt- 
gart and  in  Switzerland.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  located 
in  Cincinnati,  and  gained  a vast  reputation  as  an  analytical  chemist.  He  died 
in  1884.  An  equally  distinguished  man  was  E.  S.  Wayne,  a native  of  Phila- 
delphia, to  whose  zeal  and  enthusiasm  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation owes  its  existence.  Wayne  was  a man  of  solid  scientific  attainments, 
an  excellent  teacher  and  imimensely  popular.  He  was  the  Beau  Brummel 
of  the  profession,  always  faultlessly  attired  and  with  manners  to  match. 
He  was  John  A.  Warder’s  assistant  (1856)  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 
From  1858  to  1860  he  was  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  reoccupied  the  same  chair  in  the  last-named 
school  in  1884.  His  health  failing  he  returned  to  the  place  of  his  birth, 
Philadelphia,  at  the  end  of  the  session.  He  died  there  in  1885,  sixty-seven 
years  of  age.  Wm.  B.  Chapman,  the  third  in  the  trinity  of  great  pharmacists, 
was  born  in  Pennypack  Hall,  near  Philadelphia,  in  1813,  came  to  Cincinnati 
in  1835,  opened  a drug  store  in  conjunction  with  John  Eberle’s  son,  graduated 
from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1839,  but  continued  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness. For  many  years  he  had  a store  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Sixth  and 
Vine  Streets.  In  1854  he  was  elected  president  of  the  American  Pharma- 
ceutical Association.  He  was  the  inventor  of  Chapman’s  suppository  mould. 
He  died  in  1874.  J.  F.  Judge,  another  distinguished  chemist  who  became 
associated  with  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  is  referred  to  in  connection  with 
the  Miami  Medical  College. 

Another  institution  whose  history  has  been  closely  related  to  the  history 
of  the  medical  profession,  is  the  Ohio  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  founded 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  January  24,  1845.  It  was  the  second  school 
of  its  kind  in  the  world,  its  predecessor  being  the  dental  school  in  Baltimore, 
founded  a few  years  previously  by  H.  Willis  Baxley,  subsequently  a pro- 
fessor in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  Ohio  College  of  Dental  Surgery 
was  organized  by  physicians.  The  first  course  of  lectures  began  in  Novem- 
ber, 1845.  The  first  faculty  consisted  of  Jesse  W.  Cook,  professor  of  dental 
anatomy  and  physiology;  M.  Rogers,  professor  of  dental  pathology  and 
therapeutics;  James  Taylor,  professor  of  practical  dentistry  and  pharmacy, 
and  Jesse  P.  Judkins,  demonstrator  of  anatomy.  In  February,  1846,  a class 
of  four  graduated.  Every  graduate  received  a diploma  and  copy  of  the  Holy 
Bible.  Whether  the  graduates  were  expected  to  practice  dental  art  by  au- 
thority of  the  former  or  the  latter  is  not  stated.  During  the  second  session 
Elijah  Slack  delivered  lectures  on  chemistry.  During  the  long  career  of  the 
Ohio  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  many  eminent  medical  men  have  been  con- 
nected with  the  institution.  Anatomy  has  been  taught  by  John  T.  Shotwell, 
Thomas  Wood,  C.  B.  Chapman,  Charles  Kearns  and  Wm.  Clendenin,  pa- 
thology by  George  Mendenhall,  Edward  Rives,  F.  Brunning  and  others.  Jesse 
W.  Cook  resigned  in  1847,  and  was  followed  by  J.  F.  Potter,  a surgeon  of 


91 


repute,  who  subsequently  was  connected  with  St.  Luke’s  Hospital.  His  dis- 
pute over  an  unimportant  point  in  ethics  with  R.  D.  Mussey  who  was  a 
stickler  on  correct  form,  attracted  much  attention  at  the  time.  Potter  died 
in  1868.  His  wife  was  Miss  Martha  Longworth. 

The  school  started  in  an  old  building  on  College  Street,  which  was  ‘torn 
<lown  in  1854  and  followed  by  a new  structure  erected  on  the  site  of.  the  old. 
The  new  edifice  was  the  first  building  in  the  world  put  up  specially  for  dental 
education.  This  building  was  for  many  years  the  home  of  the  Academy  of 
Medicine.  In  1881  a reorganization  took  place  which  ushered  in  an  era  of 
prosperity  for  the  school  under  the  management  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Smith.  Dr. 
C.  M.  Wright,  whose  name  is  mentioned  in  the  biography  of  James  Graham, 
has  been  the  professor  of  physiology  for  many  years.  The  present  home 
of  the  school  is  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Court  and  Central  Avenue.  Prob- 
ably the  most  distinguished  dentist  who  has  ever  practiced  in  Cincinnati  was 
Jonathan  Taft  (1820-1903)  who  held  a chair  in  the  Ohio  College  of  Dental 
Surgery  and  wrote  an  excellent  book  on  operative  dentistry.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  family  that  has  given  a President  to  our  country. 

The  quack,  the  medical  confidence-man,  was  very  much  in  evidence  in 
the  early  days.  Human  credulity  and  stupidity  prepared  a rich  harvest  for 
charlatans  of  all  kinds.  Even  witches  had  to  be  reckoned  with.  Daniel  Drake 
tells  us  about  his  Indian  horse  that  could  not  be  caught  after  nightfall  and  in 
this  connection  recalls  a case  in  which  a witch  figured  very  prominently. 
'‘Witches  were  not  then  extinct,  and  some  of  them  were  actually  known. 
One  of  the  most  mischievous  lived  a few  miles  back  in  the  country,  and 
bewitched  a woman  on  the  river  bank.  Her  husband  came  at  dusk  in  the 
evening  for  assistance,  and  went  into  the  lot  to  assist  in  catching  my  horse, 
which,  of  course,  we  failed  to  do,  and  he  ascribed  the  failure  to  the  witch 
having  entered  the  animal.  It  only  remained  to  give  him  a paper  of  medicine, 
which  he  afterwards  assured  me  was  the  best  he  had  ever  tried,  for,  as  he 
entered  the  door  of  his  cabin,  the  witch  escaped  through  the  small  back 
window,  and  fled  up  the  steep  hill  and  into  the  woods.  He  carefully  preserved 
the  medicine  as  a charm,  and  found  it  more  efficacious  than  a horseshoe  nailed 
over  the  door,  which,  before  the  united  skill  of  Dr.  Goforth  and  myself  had 
been  brought  to  bear  on  this  matter,  was  the  most  reliable  counter-charm.” 

Some  of  the  stories  told  about  the  early  quacks  in  Cincinnati  are  very 
amusing.  A writer  in  the  ''Cincinnati  Times'  (1867)  who  concealed  his 
identity  under  the  nom-de-plume  of  "Old  Man”  refers  to  Menessier’s  Board- 
ing House  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Pearl  Streets.  "Here  on  a Summer’s 
day  in  1803  or  1804  came  a tall  and  venerable-looking  man  clad  in  the  most 
fantastic  array  with  very  long  white  hair.  This  striking  personage  introduced 
himself  as  Professor  Yernest,  a Swede  by  birth,  and  his  business  was  indi- 
cated by  the  following  advertisement : 


92 


“The  Elixir  of  Longevity.” 

“Doctor  Yernest,  a native  of  Sweden,  the  inventor  of  the  above  Elixir,  and  by  whom 
the  secret  has  long  remained  in  his  family,  lived  254  years,  his  grandfather  130  years, 
his  mother  107  years,  his  father  130,  and  his  grandmother  175  years. 

“Doctor  Yernest,  the  eldest  in  descent  of  the  male  line  of  this  venerable  family,  now 
in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  lives  at  Mr.  Menessier,  and  has  the  Elixir  of  Longevity  with 
him ; a fifty-cent  bottle  of  the  same  being  sufficient  quantity  to  insure  the  continua- 
tion of  life  of  the  most  sickly  for  at  least  a century.” 

The  Professor  for  a time  did  a prosperous  business,  but  one  day  the  dis- 
tinguished French  advocate  and  tavernkeeper  and  the  patriarchal  Swede  be- 
came involved  in  a discussion  on  European  politics.  Angry  words  soon  gave 
way  to  blows,  and  in  the  excitement  of  the  conflict  the  wonderful  white  hair 
of  the  antediluvian  came  oflP,  bringing  to  view  a mass  of  bright  red  curls,  as 
red,  says  the  “Old  Man,”  as  the  topknot  of  a woodpecker.  As  a result,  a 
vision  of  youth  took  the  place  of  the  semblance  of  hoary  old  age,  and  a man 
of  35  stood  in  the  shoes  of  the  fossil  of  85.  The  “Elixir”  was  not  able  to 
save  him  and  night  riding  on  a rail  accompanied  by  a dozen  or  more  of  his 
former  friends  who  had  'indulged  in  sufficient  quantities  of  another  sort  of 
elixir,  he  was  escorted  from  town  to  the  tune  of  the  “Rogues  March”. 

Another  story  by  “Old  Man”  tells  of  the  great  King,  “the  prophet,  the  wise 
man,  the  immortal  King”  who  advertised  his  business  in  the  following 
manner : 

“Humble  ones,  my  mission  calls  me  among  you.  The  Great  Book,  on  being  opened, 
announces  my  coming.  Your  pains,  sufferings  and  sorrows  shall  cease.  Doctor  King  can 
look  back  through  a vista  of  three  thousand  years,  and  trace  his  descent  from  a con- 
tinued line  of  great  physicians.  Wherever  he  has  been,  the  blind  have  been  restored  to 
sight,  the  lame  walked,  the  heart-broken  made  happy.  More  than  a million  of  people, 
afflicted  with  every  ill  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  have  applied  to  him  for  relief  during  the 
past  ten  years,  and  in  every  instance  has  a permanent  cure  been  effected.  Come,  behold, 
see  for  yourselves,  and  watch  the  hand  of  Fate,  as  it  points  you  out  the  course  to 
follow.” 

“Doctor  King  can  not  attend  to  any  calls  after  sundown,  as  he  is  then  engaged  until 
morning  dawn  in  consulting  the  stars  and  planets  as  to  the  proper  treatment  of  his 
patients  on  the  following  day.” 

This  prophet  was  so  successful  that  at  last  he  was  so  indiscreet  as  to 
issue  a challenge  to  physicians  to  meet  him  in  a joint  discussion.  This  was 
too  much  of  an  opportunity  for  Dr.  Drake,  then  a young  and  combative 
practitioner.  He  accepted  the  challenge  and  as  a result  of  an  announcement 
in  the  paper  a large  crowd  was  present  to  see  the  fun.  In  those  days,  as  at 
the  present,  the  humbug  had  his  followers  and  the  result  of  the  contest  was 
by  no  means  certain.  King  opened  with  a speech  in  some  absurd  gibberish,  at 
the  end  of  which  he  was  interrogated  by  Drake  as  to  its  meaning.  King 
triumphantly  announced  that  that  was  the  language  of  the  natives  of  Farther 
India.  Thereupon,  Drake  brought  in  an  extraordinarily  dressed  personage 
whom  he  announced  as  Fredora,  a native  of  Farther  India,  who  would  act 
as  interpreter.  Fredora  who  had  been  dressed  to  represent  an  Icelander, 


93 


Indian,  Hottentot  or  any  other  outlandish  personage,  began  to  grumble,  growl 
and  roar  at  the  unfortunate  King.  It  was  a case  of  Indian  against  Indian, 
Greek  against  Greek,  dog  eat  dog,  and  King  was  obliged  to  retire  discomfited. 
He  finally  confessed  that  he  had  worked  for  years  in  a Philadelphia  woolen 
mill,  but  concluded  that  it  was  easier  to  live  by  his  wits.  He  was  allowed  to 
leave  town  without  ceremony. 

In  “Liberty  Hall”  January  11,  1815,  Peter  Smith,  the  itinerant  preacher 
and  Indian  Doctor,  who  wrote  the  first  medical  book  that  was  published  in 
Cincinnati  (see  reference  to  this  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  book),  advertises 
his  “Pulvis  Excitaria  or  Life  Invigorating  Powder,”  a remedy  for  almost 
every  possible  ailment.  The  advertisement  is  signed  by  Peter  Smith  of  the 
Gospel  and  concludes  with  a certificate  of  William  Burke  to  the  effect  that 
his  hoarseness  had  been  relieved  by  the  use  of  this  drug,  and  that  he  hoped 
by  the  blessing  of  God  to  be  entirely  restored.  The  drug  was  put  up  in  “small 
square  papers  signed  on  one  square  with  my  name  corresponding  to  the  like 
assignment  on  the  bill  attending  it,  without  which  the  medicine  is  not  to  be 
esteemed  genuine.”  To  use  it,  the  powder  must  be  dissolved  in  vinegar  and 
of  the  mixture  a teaspoonful  was  put  in  a half  glass  of  sage  tea  which  could 
be  sweetened.  The  dose  was  to  be  repeated  in  double  the  quantity  every  ten 
minutes  “until  the  stomach  becomes  full  warm  and  easy.”  Then  the  patient 
must  drink  a cup  of  hot  toddy  with  hot  toast  crumbled  into  it  and  finally  he 
must  drink  plentifully  of  some  herb  or  root  tea  such  as  herb  balm,  pennyroyal, 
horseradish-root,  square  stock  root  or  blueberry  root,  any  of  them  alone  or 
all  mixed  together.  After  this  final  dose  the  patient  is  supposed  to  eat  and 
drink  and  sleep  freely.  In  two  hours  the  patient,  if  still  alive,  “will  likely  know 
if  the  point  aimed  at  will  succeed.”  This  advertisement  is  accompanied  by 
an  elaborate  system  of  notes  and  a series  of  observations,  together  with  ref- 
erences to  the  author’s  medical  book  called  the  “Indian  Doctor’s  Dispensatory.” 
Despite  the  use  of  this  extraordinary  remedy.  Father  Burke’s  hoarseness 
continued  until  the  day  of  his  death.  Dr.  Smith  was  not  to  have  a monopoly, 
for  the  following  issue  contains  a notice  of  Dr.  Thomas  Hill  from  Boston 
to  the  effect  that  he  had  taken  a house  on  Walnut  Street  near  the  Academy 
where  he  intended  to  practice  physic  and  surgery.  The  fact  that  he  had  prac- 
ticed thirteen  years  in  a warm  climate  was  urged  as  of  special  importance. 

In  the  Directory  of  1829  an  advertisement  appears  of  Dr.  L.  M.  Johnson 
who  made  a specialty  of  galvanism  as  a remedy  and  was  equipped  with  the 
“Medical  Galvanic  Battery  where  patients  can  receive  this  gentle  and  agree- 
able stimulus  at  all  times.”  It  was  also  provided  with  “a  powerful  Electro- 
Galvanic  Resuscitating  Battery  which  will  be  free  for  the  Humane  Society 
and  the  faculty  for  restoring  suspended  animation.”  Dr.  Johnson  also  had 
discovered  that  medicines  applied  externally  were  “much  more  beneficial  and 
more  likely  to  subdue  certain  forms  of  disease  than  those  administered  in- 
ternally which  most  generally  irritate  and  do  much  mischief  to  the  stomach 
and  bowels  before  any  specific  action  can  be  produced,  and  the  manner  of 


94 


applying  those  medicines  externally  in  the  form  of  gas  is  certainly  a discovery 
the  most  valuable  in  medicine.”  His  institution,  therefore,  was  provided  with 
suitable  apparatus  for  applying  to  the  whole  body  fumigations  of  sulphur, 
chlorine,  iodine,  muriatic  acid,  alcohol  and  balsamic  medicines,  which  the 
patient  could  avail  himself  of  without  inconvenience  in  either  sitting  or  re- 
clining or  horizontal  posture.” 

In  the  Western  Spy,  September  19,  1800,  Dr.  Shelton  announces  that 
“he  has  discovered  a species  of  bug  which  abound  in  potato  patches,  having 
all  the  virtues  of  the  Spanish,  which  cost  twenty  dollars  per  pound,  while 
more  of  these  American  cantharides  may  be  obtained,  than  will  be  wanted 
for  domestic  use,  with  no  expense  and  little  trouble.”  Mr.  Cist,  who  quotes 
Shelton’s  ad  in  his  interesting  book  “Cincinnati  in  1841,”  adds : “I  have  no 
doubt  that  these  bugs  were  all  humbugs.” 

One  of  the  boldest  charlatans  who  for  awhile  monopolized  the  best  prac- 
tice in  town,  held  forth  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Eighth  and  Plum  Streets, 
where  every  day  the  carriages  of  the  wealthiest  people  drove  up,  while  the 
leading  physicians  deplored  the  absence  of  their  best  patients.  Drake  informs 
us  that  this  quack  was  a negro  who  had  followed  an  itinerant  oculist  from  New 
Orleans  and  was  stranded  in  Cincinnati.  This  negro  was  nearly  blind  from 
gonorrheal  ophthalmia.  He,  in  some  manner  or  another,  attracted  an  enormous 
practice  by  the  silliest  kind  of  a swindle.  He  would  tell  the  patient  to  dip 
one  finger  into  a tumbler  of  water  whereupon  he  would  study . and  analyze 
the  water  and  tell  the  patient  what  ailed  him.  One  young  lady  was  told  by 
the  negro  that  a male  had  also  dipped  his  finger  into  the  water.  She  denied 
this  whereupon  the  negro  stated  that  she  was  pregnant  with  a male  child. 
The  girl  broke  down  and  confessed  that  she  was  pregnant.  In  due  time 
she  was  delivered  of  a male  child.  A man  was  told  by  the  negro  that  a 
dead  person’s  finger  had  been  put  into  the  water.  The  patient  was  worried 
and  annoyed  and  decided  to  see  his  family  physician  about  the  matter.  On 
his  way  to  the  doctor’s  office  he  dropped  dead  in  the  street.  These  and  sim- 
ilar occurrences  established  the  negro’s  reputation.  Drake  tells  us  that  one 
of  the  leading  physicians  proceeded  to  drive  this  negro  out  of  the  city  and 
in  the  melee  which  followed,  this  physician  whose  name  Drake  does  not  give, 
was  severely  cut  by  the  negro.  Fearing  the  result,  the  latter  left  the  city. 

Drake  narrates  with  much  glee  the  success  which  two  phrenologists  had 
who  opened  a shop  on  Lower  Market,  and  for  some  time  did  a land-office 
business.  One  of  their  specialties  was  the  sale  of  “love  powder”  which  the 
young  folks  bought  from  them  by  the  pound  to  adjust  affairs  of  the  heart. 
All  is  fair  in  love  and  war,  says  Drake. 

The  necessity  of  establishing  a criterion  of  professional  decency,  a rule  of 
action  to  guide  the  physician  in  his  dealings  with  patients  and  colleagues, 
was  recognized  by  the  doctors  of  Cincinnati  as  early  as  1821.  At  a meeting 
of  the  physicians  of  Cincinnati,  on  February  21,  1821,  at  which  John  Sell- 


95 


man  presided  and  Joseph  Buchanan  acted  as  secretary,  a “Code  of  Medical 
Police  and  Rules  and  Regulations”  was  adopted  and  a copy  of  it  submitted  to 
every  practitioner  in  the  city  for  his  signature.  The  author  of  this  code  was 
Jesse  Smith,  aided  by  Drs.  Pierson  and  Buchanan.  This  code  is  a remarkable 
document.  In  it  the  philosophy  of  ethical  conduct  is  beautifully  expressed 
and  its  practical  application  to  the  exigencies  of  professional  life  most  aptly 
illustrated.  Esprit  de  corps  or  a high  regard  for  the  ideals  of  the  profession 
and  respect  for  those  who  share  the  responsibilities  of  professional  activity 
is  given  as  the  foundation  of  correct  conduct.  The  rights  of  patients,  the 
duties  of  the  physician  towards  his  patients  and  towards  his  brethren  are 
succinctly  set  forth,  the  technique  and  mode  of  consultation  are  discussed, 
the  manner  of  adjusting  dififerences  among  physicians  is  clearly  defined,  a 
fee-bill  is  established,  quackery  is  denounced  and  a general  savoir  vivrc  in 
the  profession  is  outlined.  The  profession  of  Cincinnati  is  permanently  or- 
ganized as  “The  Cincinnati  Medical  Association”  to  meet  annually  on  the 
first  Monday  in  January.  The  fees  recognized  by  the  Association  were  as 
follows : 


For  a visit  $0.50 

F'or  a visit  and  first  consultation 5.00 

For  a visit,  and  each  subsequent  consultation 2.00 


For  a visit,  or  a visit  in  consultation,  out  of  the  city  of  Cincin- 
nati, the  fees  as  above  for  a visit,  or  a visit  in  consultation ; 
with  the  addition,  of ’every  mile,  except  the  first,  from  the 


Lower  Market,  of  from  50  cents  to 1.00 

In  like  manner,  for  every  other  service,  when  out  of  the  city,  the 
fee  for  the  service  shall  first  be  charged,  and  for  every  mile, 

except  the  first,  from  50  cents  to 1.00 

For  a visit  to  Newport  or  Covington,  Ky 2.00 

For  a visit  and  passing  catheter 3.00 

For  a visit  and  passing  catheter  when  frequently  repeated 1.50 

For  a visit  and  performing  venesection  1.00 

For  a visit  and  extracting  a tooth 1.00 

For  a visit  and  dressing  only  1.00 

For  venesection,  extracting  a tooth,  or  dressing  at  surgeon’s  house  .50 

For  rising  in  the  night  and  visit 2.00 

For  rising  in  the  night,  and  visit  in  consultation 7.00 

For  rising  in  the  night,  and  advice  at  the  physician’s  house 1.00 

For  advice  at  the  physician’s  house,  or  elsewhere,  according  to 

the  importance  of  the  case  and  time  occupied,  from  50  cents  to  10.00 

For  a case  of  gonorrhoea 10.00 

For  all  other  cases  of  syphilis 12.00 

For  a case  of  midwifery 10.00 

For  amputation  of  large  limbs,  trepanning,  extirpation  of  large 
tumours,  and  other  surgical  operations  of  equal  difficulty  and 

importance  30.00 

For  Lithotomy  75.00 

For  the  operation  for  fistula  in  ano 15.00 

For  the  operation  for  hair-lip 15.00 

For  tapping  for  dropsy 10.00 


96 


For  reducing  luxations,  or  fractures  of  large  bones,  from  $10  to.  ..$20.00 
For  amputating  toes,  fingers,  and  for  excision  of  small  tumours...  7.00 
For  reducing  luxations,  or  fractures  of  small  bones,  for  stitching 

recent  wounds,  opening  large  abscesses  and  similar  operations.  3.00 


For  vaccine  inoculations  2.00 

Insertion  of  a seton,  or  making  an  issue 2.00 


The  physicians  who  signed  the  “Code”  in  1821  were  John  Sellman,  Samuel 
Ramsay,  Ebenezer  H.  Pierson,  Coleman  Rogers,  John  Moorhead,  Jesse  Smith, 
John  Cranmer,  Josiah  Whitman,  Daniel  P.  Robbins,  William  Barnes,  Joseph 
Buchanan,  Ichabod  Sargeant,  Oliver  Fairchild,  Edward  Y.  Kemper,  Cyrus  W. 
Trimble,  Abel  Slayback,  Truman  Bishop  and  William  T.  Crissey. 

It  is  interesting  and  instructive  to  observe  the  changes  which  have  oc- 
curred in  the  therapeutic  notions  of  the  profession  since  those  early  days. 
The  lancet  was  as  consistently  employed  in  those  days  as  it  is  too  indiscrim- 
inately condemned  today.  Calomel  was  the  mainstay  of  the  physician.  It 
would  take  us  beyond  the  confines  of  our  subject  to  discuss  these  points  in 
detail.  No  student  or  practitioner  of  medicine  should  forego  the  pleasure  of 
reading  the  writings  of  the  early  authors,  especially  Drake,  Eberle  and  Cross. 
They  can  be  found  in  the  journals  of  those  days.  An  interesting  paper  that 
should  be  read  by  every  student  of  the  medical  history  of  our  Western  country, 
was  contributed  by  Dr.  G.  S.  B.  Hempstead,  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  to  the 
“Cincinnati  Lancet  and  Clinic”  (1878).  The  title  of  the  paper  is  “Remin- 
iscences of  the  Physicians  of  the  First  Quarter  of  the  Present  Century,  with  a 
Review  of  Some  Features  of  Their  Practice.”  Dr.  Hempstead  was  the  first 
graduate  of  the  Ohio  University  (Athens,  1813)  and  received  his  medical 
degree  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1821.  In  1829  he  published 
an  essay  in  which  he  tried  to  prove  that  the  hydrocyanic  acid  in  decaying 
vegetable  matter  is  the  probable  cause  of  autumnal  fever. 

Up  to  1815  all  Cincinnati  physicians  were  Americans  by  birth  and  edu- 
cation. The  first  foreigner  that  located  in  Cincinnati  as  a physician  was 
Dr.  Wm.  Mundhenk,  who  came  from  Germany  in  1815  and  remained  two  or 
three  years.  It  is  supposed  that  he  retired  to  a farm  in  Northern  Ohio  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  there.  In  1819  FRANZ  OBERDORF  joined  the  lo- 
cal profession.  He  was  born  in  1776  in  a village  near  Heidelberg.  When  he 
was  seven  years  of  age,  he  accompanied  his  mother,  who  was  a French  woman, 
on  a visit  to  her  relatives  in  the  town  of  Montpelier  in  the  southern  part  of 
France.  Young  Oberdorf  remained  in  Montpelier  under  the  care  of  his  uncle 
who  was  an  army  surgean.  He  began  his  medical  studies  in  the  ancient 
University  of  Montpelier  (founded  1196).  The  outbreak  of  the  French 
revolution  interrupted  his  medical  course.  He  was  appointed  assistant  sur- 
geon and  had  ample  opportunity  to  make  up  in  practical  experience  what  he 
lacked  in  theoretical  knowledge.  Eventually  he  became  a surgeon  in  Na- 
poleon’s army  and  accompanied  the  grim  Corsican  on  most  of  his  campaigns. 


97 


He  attended  the  wounded  beneath  the  pyramids,  in  the  Italian  Alps  and  on 
the  icy  plains  of  Russia.  He  witnessed  Napoleon’s  struggle  against  Fate  at 
Leipsic;  he  served  during  the  battle  of  the  Bridge  of  Lodi.  It  was  here  that 
his  uncle  who  had  practically  raised  him,  fell  within  a few  feet  of  him, 
struck  by  a cannon  ball.  When  the  star  of  Napoleon  had  set,  never  to  rise 
again,  Oberdorf  quit  the  life  of  the  soldier  and  emigrated  to  America,  landing 
at  Baltimore  in  1816.  He  became  a surgeon  on  board  of  an  East  ^Indian 
merchantman.  In  1818  he  visited  a ranch  in  Mexico  with  a view  of  buying 
it  and  settling  down.  While  there,  he  fell  in  love  with  a young  widow  from 
Lancaster,  Pa.  He  married  her  and  located  in  Cincinnati  where  the  young 
wife  had  relatives.  Oberdorf  had  many  obstacles  put  in  his  way  by  the 
native  American  physicians  who  disliked  him  on  account  of  his  being  a for- 
eigner. He  was  every  inch  a soldier,  crude  and  unconventional  in  his  manner, 
straightforward  and  forcible  in  his  speech.  The  common  people  liked  him. 
During  the  first  few  years  of  his  practice  he  was  compelled  to  earn  his  living 
by  giving  music  lessons  and  teaching  German  and  French.  In  the  course  of 
ten  years  he  became  one  of  the  busiest  physicians  in  Cincinnati.  His  ob- 
stetrical practice  was  phenomenal.  Few  physicians  of  those  days  were  as 
universally  popular  as  he.  His  rough,  forcible  and  yet  honest  way  of  talking 
to  his  patients  and  his  many  acts  of  kindness  to  his  suffering  fellowman 
established  him  firmly  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  For  thirty-seven  years 
he  was  a character  in  the  local  profession  whose  quaintness  and  originality 
were  known  throughout  the  Western  country.  In  1844  his  wife  died.  Her 
death  seemed  to  change  his  whole  nature.  He  longed  for  the  flowers  and 
trees  and  the  freedom  and  simplicity  of  life  in  the  country.  He  moved  to 
Kentucky  in  1857  and  died  in  1860.  His  son,  F.  J.  C.  Oberdorf,  was  born 
in  Cincinnati  in  1822,  attended  Woodward  College,  graduated  from  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  in  1846  and  practiced  with  his  father  until  the  latter 
moved  to  Kentucky.  Failing  health  compelled  the  son  to  join  his  father. 
He  died  in  1880.  Both  father  and  son  were  noted  for  their  surgical  skill  and 
for  their  great  philanthropy. 

The  next  foreigner  that  came  to  Cincinnati  and  became  one  of  its  dis- 
tinguished citizens  was  John  Moorhead,  whose  career  has  been  noted  else- 
where. In  1827  Dr.  Friedrich  Bunte,  a learned  German  physician,  came  to 
Cincinnati  fresh  from  the  University  of  Wurzburg.  He  remained  a few  years 
and  took  up  teaching.  Finally  he  drifted  away.  He  died  in  the  sixties  in 
Brookville,  Ind.  Soon  after  1830  quite  a number  of  foreign-born  physicians 
located  in  Cincinnati.  DR.  THEODOR  A.  TELLKAMPF  who  practiced  here 
for  a number  of  years,  was  probably  the  most  distinguished  of  these.  He  was 
the  younger  brother  of  J.  L.  Tellkampf,  a lawyer  of  international  reputation, 
who  taught  political  economy  at  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  after- 
wards became  a professor  at  the  University  of  Breslau,  and  eventually  was 
associated  with  Mommsen  and  Virchow  in  the  German  Parliament.  He  died 
in  1876.  Dr.  T.  A.  Tellkampf,  the  younger  brother,  was  born  in  Biickeburg 


98 


in  1812.  He  attended  the  gymnasium  at  Hannover  and  studied  medicine  in 
Gottingen  and  Berlin.  He  graduated  in  Berlin  in  1838  and  completed  his 
medical  education  in  Vienna.  A desire  to  see  more  of  the  world  prompted 
him  to  go  to  America.  He  located  in  Cincinnati  but  spent  much  time  traveling 
and  studying.  He  made  a specialty  of  sanitation  and  hygiene  of  prisons,  and 
became  known  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  as  an  authority  on  this  subject. 
In  1844  he  was  offered  and  declined  a chair  in  the  University  of  Berlin. 
While  in  Cincinnati  he  was  a most  active  member  of  the  local  profession 
and  took  a deep  interest  in  educational  matters.  In  1845  he  located  in  New 
York  and  continued  to  work  in  the  interest  of  the  subjects  with  which  his 
name  will  always  be  associated.  He  was  the  friend  of  Alexander  von  Hum- 
boldt and  other  celebrities.  In  1861  General  Fremont  appointed  him  on  his 
staff.  He  practiced  in  New  York  until  1881,  when  failing  health  prompted 
him  to  return  to  the  land  of  his  birth.  He  died  in  Hannover  in  1883.  His 
two  most  important  scientific  contributions  (“The  Influence  of  Confinement 
and  Prison-life  on  Body  and  Mind”  and  “Sanitary  Conditions  in  American 
Prisons”),  which  were  published  in  Berlin,  1844,  were  written  by  him  during 
his  residence  in  Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati  has  had  many  German  physicians  who  wielded  a vast  influence 
in  the  community.  Some  of  these  men  had  obtained  their  medical  education 
in  Europe,  others  studied  medicine  in  this  country,  adding  to  the  hardships 
of  a medical  course  the  difficulties  of  a new,  unfamiliar  tongue.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  of  interest  to  know  that  quite  a few  educated  Germans  took  their 
medical  course  in  Transylvania  University  where  students  were  permitted  to 
present  inaugural  theses  in  Latin,  Greek,  French,  German,  Italian,  Spanish, 
and,  of  course,  English.  Latin  theses  were  common,  French  and  German 
not  infrequent.  Many  people  imagine  that  the  professors  and  students  of 
medicine  in  Lexington  and  in  Cincinnati  in  those  days  were  crude,  uncul- 
tured and  ignorant  men.  This  is  a serious  error.  Some  of  the  men  who 
taught  medicine  at  these  early  schools  were  the  equals  of  the  most  famous 
teachers  in  Europe.  While  it  would  be  like  decorating  the  lion’s  mane,  to 
put  an  A.B.  or  A.M.  after  the  name  of  geniuses  like  Drake  and  Dudley,  it 
was  nevertheless  a fact  that  the  majority  of  the  medical  teachers  of  those 
early  days  were  men  of  splendid  classical  education. 

The  influence  and  quality  of  the  German  element  is  well  shown  in  the 
German  physicians  of  early  days.  Some  of  the  more  prominent  ones  were 
also  conspicuous  in  other  lines  besides  medicine. 

JACOB  CONRAD  HOMBURG  was  born  in  Wachenheim  in  1798  and  at- 
tended the  University  of  Marburg.  While  he  was  studying  he  was  hounded  by 
Government  detectives  on  account  of  his  liberal  views.  To  avoid  arrest  he 
made  his  escape  and  continued  his  studies  at  Basel  in  the  hospitable  Swiss 
Republic.  He  graduated  in  1824  and  went  to  America.  For  a number  of 
years  he  practiced  in  Cincinnati.  He  located  in  Indianapolis  in  1840  and 


99 


rose  to  great  prominence  as  a physician.  He  died  in  1881.  His  younger 
brother,  FRIEDRICH  HOMBURG,  came  to  this  country  in  1834  and  attended 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  graduated  in  1838  and  located  first  in  Shelby- 
ville,  Ind.,  then  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  for  years  a leading  German 
physician.  He  died  in  1868.  Like  his  friend,  George  Fries,  James  Graham’s 
brother-in-law,  he  was  a staunch  Democrat  and  remained  one  even  during 
the  Civil  War.  The  assassination  of  Lincoln  threw  the  people  of  the  North 
into  a high  fever  of  excitement  and  indignation.  In  many  places  a senseless 
revenge  was  visited  upon  men  who  were  prominently  identified  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party.  These  men  were  known  as  “copperheads”  in  war-times.  In 
Cincinnati  a number  of  residences  were  mobbed  the  day  following  Lincoln’s 
death.  Among  the  prominent  men  who  thus  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 
lawless  mob  were  George  Fries  and  Friedrich  Homburg,  whose  houses  were 
located  at  Eighth  and  Vine  Streets.  Homburg’s  house  was  completely  wrecked 
and  most  of  his  furniture,  books,  etc.,  burnt.  Homburg  literally  grieved  him- 
self to  death  over  this  undeserved  treatment.  He  was  a kind-hearted  man, 
universally  beloved  on  account  of  his  charitable  nature.  The  greatest  source 
of  bitterness  was  the  fact  that  the  outrage  was  committed  by  some  of  his 
own  countrymen,  German  republicans,  who  assembled  at  Turner  Hall  to  do 
honor  to  the  memory  of  the  great  Emancipator  and  disgraced  the  latter  and 
themselves  by  committing  outrages  on  the  homes  of  defenseless  citizens. 

M.  W.  PAUL  was  born  in  1807  at  Recklinghausen,  studied  for  the  priest- 
hood at  Munster  but  changed  his  mind  and  attended  medical  lectures  at  Mar- 
burg and  Bonn.  At  the  latter  place  he  graduated.  He  came  to  Cincinnati 
in  1834,  and,  not  being  acquainted  with  the  people  or  their  language,  had  to 
do  the  coarsest  kind  of  menial  work  to  keep  from  starving.  He  worked  in  a 
rope  factory  in  Covington.  His  genial  and  refined  manner  aroused  the  suspi- 
cion of  his  foreman,  who  introduced  him  one  day  to  Dr.  C.  A.  Schneider,  at 
that  time  one  of  the  leading  physicians  in  Cincinnati.  Schneider  took  an 
interest  in  Paul  and  made  it  possible  for  him  to  practice  his  profession.  In  a 
short  time  he  was  a much-sought-after  physician.  His  convivial  habits  made 
him  very  popular.  He  was  a fine  classical  scholar  and  an  accomplished  mu- 
sician. He  grew  enormously  fat  and  died  of  apoplexy  in  1847. 

FRIEDRICH  ROELKER  was  born  in  Osnabrueck,  Germany,  in  1809,  and 
received  a splendid  education  at  the  Collegium  Carolinum  of  his  native  town 
and  the  seminary  at  Munster,  Westphalia,  where  he  prepared  himself  for 
the  profession  of  teaching.  He  came  to  America  in  1835  and  after  two  years 
of  teaching  in  New  York  arrived  in  Cincinnati.  He  became  an  English  teacher 
and  ultimately  principal  of  Holy  Trinity  Catholic  School  on  West  Fifth  Street. 
He  began  to  read  medicine  and  matriculated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
where  he  graduated  in  1841.  Roelker  in  after  life  often  referred  to  the 
splendid  scholarship  of  John  Eberle  whom  he  had  met  shortly  after  his  arrival 


100 


in  Cincinnati,  although  he  never  heard  him  lecture  at  the  college.  Roelker 
frequently  spoke  of  Eberle’s  fluency  in  German  and  of  his  peculiar- 
ities. Eberle  was  a typical  German  scholar,  impractical,  absent-minded  and 
full  of  eccentricities.  Roelker  had  great  respect  for  another  German  physician 
of  those  days,  S.  D.  Gross,  and  for  the  peerless  leader  of  the  profession,  Daniel 
Drake,  who  reciprocated  Roelker’s  regard  most  cordially.  Roelker  in  a short 
time  was  a successful  practitioner  and  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  town. 
In  1843,  when  the  nativistic  element  made  an  attempt  to  banish  German 
instruction  from  the  curriculum  of  the  public  schools,  Roelker  became  a can- 
didate for  the  school  board  and  was  elected  in  a Republican  ward,  although 
he  ran  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  became  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
German  Instruction  and  systematized  the  plan  of  teaching  in  the  schools  under 
his  supervision,  introduced  rational  pedagogic  methods  of  instruction  and  had 
the  satisfaction  of  demonstrating  the  superiority  of  his  educational  plan  by  the 
splendid  showing  of  his  German-English  schools  at  the  semi-annual  examina- 
tions. Roelker  is  generally  considered  the  father  of  German  instruction  in 
the  Cincinnati  schools.  His  success  as  a practical  educator  and  in  no  small 
measure  as  a physician,  made  him  an  invincibly  popular  man  in  those  days. 
Amid  his  educational  work  he  took  care  of  an  enormous  practice,  wrote  occa- 
sionally for  the  medical  journals  of  those  days,  took  an  interest  in  medical 
societies  and  used  his  political  influence  in  favor  of  progressive  medical  and 
sanitary  legislation.  He  was  a thoroughly  public-spirited  man  whose  brilliant 
mentality  and  splendid  education  made  him  a tower  of  strength  and  reflected 
great  credit  on  his  profession.  In  his  educational  work  he  had  the  help  of 
another  prominent  German  physician  of  those  days,  J.  S.  Unzicker.  When 
Roberts  Bartholow  came  to  Cincinnati,  Roelker  at  once  took  a great  interest 
in  the  gifted  young  physician  who  was  as  poor  as  the  proverbial  church- 
mouse.  He  introduced  Bartholow  to  many  influential  people  and  finally,  when 
Roelker  left  the  city  for  a prolonged  European  visit,  he  put  Bartholow  in 
charge  of  his  office  and  thus  gave  him  his  start  as  a practitioner.  Roelker 
was  a lifelong  champion  of  German  interests  in  Cincinnati,,  and  will  always 
be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  representatives  of  the  German 
element  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Professionally  he  occupied  a high  rank 
as  a general  practitioner.  The  universal  respect  which  the  profession  had  for 
him,  found  its  practical  expression  in  1868  when  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of 
Medicine  elected  him  an  honorary  member.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  pro- 
fessor of  pathology  and  pediatrics  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery.  Roelker  died  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1883. 

D.  S.  CANS  was  a native  of  Hannover,  Germany,  and  a graduate  of  the 
University  of  Gottingen.  He  emigrated  to  this  country  about  1835  and,  after 
practicing  in  Dayton,  New  Orleans  and  Havana,  Cuba,  located  in  Cincinnati. 
He  died  in  1863.  He  was  a cultured  man  who  enjoyed  the  respect  of  the 
whole  profession  in  a high  degree.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  medical 


101 


organizations  and  contributed  many  papers  of  value.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  versatile  medical  writers  in  the  local  profession. 

JOSEPH  S.  UNZICKER  was  born  in  Waldeck,  Nassau,  Germany,  in  1813 
and  came  to  this  continent  when  he  was  only  a few  years  old.  His  parents  emi- 
grated to  Canada.  When  the  boy  was  sixteen  years  old,  he  went  to  Cincin- 
nati to  become  an  apothecary.  He  worked  in  different  drug  shops  and  finally 
decided  to  study  medicine.  He  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and 
graduated  in  1839.  After  one  year’s  service  as  an  interne  and  pharmacist  in 
the  Commercial  Hospital,  he  entered  general  practice  and  soon  became  one  of 
the  foremost  practitioners  and  pharmacists  in  Cincinnati.  His  large  expe- 
rience as  a pharmacist  made  him  a useful  member  of  medical  societies  in  the 
interests  of  legitimate  pharmacology  and  suitable  legislation  in  support  of 
pure  drugs  and  unadulterated  foods.  The  files  of  the  local  medical  journals 
bear  witness  to  his  great  zeal  and  scientific  knowledge.  After  thirty-two 
years  of  hard  work  in  the  interests  of  the  profession  and  its  purposes  he 
retired  from  practice.  He  died  in  1876.  He  was  immensely  popular  among 
people  of  all  classes  and  had  the  respect  of  his  colleagues.  No  greater  eulogy 
could  be  spoken  on  behalf  of  any  physician.  Aside  from  his  professional 
work  he  was  deeply  interested  in  all  questions  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the 
German  population.  His  daughter  is  the  widow  of  Erederick  H.  Alms. 

CARL  AE'GUST  SCHNEIDER  was  born  in  the  Rhenish  Palatinate 
(Rheinpfalz)  in  1804,  received  his  medical  degree  in  Heidelberg  in  1828,  came 
to  this  country  in  1832  and  settled  in  Cincinnati,  having  made  the  trip  down  the 
Ohio  River  in  a flatboat.  Eor  forty  years  Schneider  practiced  in  Cincinnati  with 
an  almost  hypnotic  hold  on  his  large  German  clientele.  He  retired  in  1878 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  his  semi-rural  home  on  Clifton  Heights. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  92  years.  He  was  a quaint  and  curious  character, 
greatly  devoted  to  his  profession.  After  his  arrival  in  Cincinnati  in  1832 
he  never  left  the  city.  He  never  rode  in  a railroad  car  and  but  once  in  his 
life  in  a street  car.  In  all  his  life  he  never  saw  a steamship.  His  son,  Dr. 
Charles  A.  Schneider,  died  in  1880. 

J.  TH.  FRANK  was  born  in  Gottingen  in  1810.  He  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  a thorough  classical  education  and  studied  medicine  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  his  native  town,  graduating  in  1833.  He  practiced  in  his  home  town  for 
twenty  years.  In  1855  he  decided  to  go  to  America  and  accordingly  came  to 
Cincinnati  where  he  located.  He  was  for  years  one  of  the  most  prominent 
German  practitioners  of  the  city.  He  died  in  1887. 

ERANZ  ANTON  JOSEPH  GERWE  was  born  in  Oldenburg  in  1820. 
His  parents  emigrated  to  America  and  came  to  Cincinnati  when  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  Being  possessed  of  much  native  ambition,  he  attended  St. 


102 


Xavier  College  to  learn  English  and  in  the  course  of  a few  years  matriculated 
at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  graduated  in  1849.  He  impersonated  the 
type  of  the  hard-working  and  conscientious  general  practitioner.  He  was  a 
talented  musician  and  took  a prominent  part  in  the  doings  of  the  German 
societies.  He  died  in  1881. 

GUSTAV  BRUEHL  was  born  in  Herdorf,  Province  of  the  Rhine,  Ger- 
many, in  18.26,  studied  medicine  in  Munich,  Halle  and  Berlin,  emigrated  to 
America  in  1848  and  located  in  Cincinnati.  He  was  one  of  the  most  learned 
members  of  the  profession  and  for  many  years  was  the  most  eminent  and  suc- 
cessful German  physician  in  the  city.  In  1858  he  helped  in  the  organization  of 
St.  Mary’s  Hospital.  He  was  the  first  physician  in  Cincinnati  to  demonstrate 


G.  Bruehc  a.  ZipperIvEn 


and  practice  laryngoscopy  having  studied  it  under  Czermak  and  Tuerck.  His 
most  valuable  contribution  of  a strictly  medical  character  was  a dissertation 
on  “The  Pre-Columbian  Origin  of  Syphilis”  read  before  the  Cincinnati  Med- 
ical Society.  Bruehl  died  in  1903. 

Bruehl’s  best  work  was  done  along  archaeological,  anthropological  and 
ethnological  lines  of  investigation.  He  was  a great  traveler  and  visited  almost 
every  part  of  the  globe.  In  the  interests  of  his  archaeological  studies  he  spent 
many  years  in  Central  America  investigating  the  remnants  of  prehistoric  races 
and  their  civilization,  the  Aztecs,  the  aborigines  of  the  Western  Hemisphere, 
etc.  His  work  “Die  Kulturvoelker  Altamerikas”  is  monumental  in  scope 
and  a most  important  contribution  to  archaeology.  Bruehl  also  published  a 
book  of  travel  in  which  he  pictures  the  people,  the  scenery,  the  natural  his- 
tory and  other  features  of  the  Western  Continent  in  a delightfully  entertain- 


103 


ing  style  with  just  enough  of  the  scientific  flavor  to  make  the  book  interesting 
to  the  educated  layman.  The  title  of  this  book  is  “Zwischen  Alaska  und  dem 
Feuerlande.” 

Bruehl  had  a poetic  temperament  and  occupies  a place  of  honor  among 
the  few  German  Americans  who  made  contributions  of  lasting  value  to  German 
literature.  The  legends  and  folklore  of  the  Indian  furnished  the  subjects  for 
some  of  Bruehl’s  best  poetic  productions.  Bruehl  was  a word-painter  of 
great  skill  and  power.  The  picturesque  and  sublime  in  still  life,  scenery  or 
in  action  brought  out  Bruehl’s  poetic  talent  to  best  advantage.  He  published 
five  small  volumes  of  poetry : “Charlotte,”  an  epic  after  the  style  of  Goethe’s 
“Herrmann  and  Dorothea”  or  Longfellow’s  “Evangeline “Die  Heldin  des 
Amazon,”  a typical  American  product,  reflecting  the  characteristic  features  of 
pioneer  life,  “Poesieen  des  Urwalds,”  poems  dealing  with  the  mountains,  the 
forests  and  the  pioneers  of  the  Western  wilderness ; “Abendglocken,”  a col- 
lection of  poems  of  a lyric  and  didactic  character,  and  “Skanderbeg,”  an  epic 
dealing  with  a subject  taken  from  the  mediaeval  history  of  Eastern  Europe. 
Bruehl’s  most  characteristic  poems  are  contained  in  “Poesieen  des  Urwalds.” 
All  his  poetic  productions  were  published  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  “Kara 
Giorg.”  Dr.  Bruehl’s  son-in-law,  William  H.  Wenning,  is  (1909)  gynecologist 
to  St.  Mary’s  Hospital. 

CYRUS  D.  FISHBURN,  born  in  1832  in  Hummelstown,  Dauphin  Co.,  Pa., 
was  a typical  “Pennsylvania  Dutchman”  whose  great-grandfather  emigrated 
from  Germany  to  this  country  in  1749.  His  grandfather  fought  under  Wash- 
ington. Cyrus  received  a good  preliminary  education  in  a school  near  his 
home  and  afterwards  in  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Mass.  The  financial 
troubles  of  his  father  prevented  the  boy  from  entering  Harvard.  He  returned 
to  Pennsylvania  and  became  a medical  student-apprentice  in  the  office  of  a 
busy  country  doctor.  In  1854  he  graduated  in  medicine  from  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  and  began  to  practice  in  Elizabethtown,  Pa.  In  1856  he 
came  West  and  tried  to  practice  in  Detroit  and  Cleveland.  In  1858  he  arrived 
in  Cincinnati  with  ten  dollars  in  his  pocket,  but  lots  of  determination  in  his 
heart.  He  rapidly  built  up  an  enormous  practice,  especially  among  the  Ger- 
mans who  liked  his  rough  and  ready  ways.  He  was  an  ideal  family  physi- 
cian, equally  devoted  to  his  patients  and  to  the  science  of  medicine.  He  died 
in  1889. 

ADOLPH  ZIPPERLEN  was  born  inHeidenheim,Wurttemberg,  Germany, 
in  1818,  received  his  classical  education  in  Stuttgart,  graduated  in  medicine 
from  the  University  of  Tuebingen  in  1841  and  took  special  courses  in  Vienna. 
At  an  early  age  his  love  of  Nature  had  made  him  an  enthusiastic  amateur  in 
botany,  zoology,  anthropology  and  other  natural  sciences.  Later  on  he  gave 
his  inclination  along  naturalistic  lines  the  fullest  scope,  devoting  much  time 
to  systematic  study  and  original  research.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1848 


104 


Cyrus  D.  Fish  burn 


F.  RoeIvKEr 


C.  A.  Schneider 


F.  Oberdorf 


Georg  Holdt 


and  began  to  practice  in  Weinsberg,  Canal  Fulton  and  Akron,  Ohio.  When 
the  war  broke  out,  Zipperlen  offered  his  service  to  Governor  Todd,  of  Ohio, 
and  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  108th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry. 
He  accompanied  his  regiment  in  all  its  campaigns  and  engagements  from 
1862  to  1865  and  left  the  service  June,  1865,  as  a brigade-surgeon.  After  the 
war  he  located  in  Cincinnati  and  became  a popular  and  successful  physician. 
He  died  in  1905. 

As  a naturalist  Zipperlen  occupied  a front  rank.  His  fort  was  zoology. 
His  knowledge,  experience  and  enthusiasm  were  the  life  element  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Zoological  Garden  during  its  early  days.  The  courtly  old  gentleman, 
clad  in  a “Lodenmantel,”  was  known  to  every  visitor  of  the  “Zoo.”  His 
appearance  in  the  carnivora  building  was  always  the  signal  of  a mighty  out- 
burst of  delight  on  the  part  of  the  untamed  denizens  of  the  desert  and  the 
wilderness.  With  a good-natured  smile  on  his  face  and  speaking  words  of 
assurance,  he  would  go  from  cage  to  cage,  put  his  hands  through  the  bars 
and  pet  the  hyena,  the  tiger  and  the  leopard.  Even  the  monarch  of  the 
desert  would  rub  his  mane  against  the  bars  of  his  cage  and  express  his 
pleasure  in  a long-drawn-out  grunt  while  the  old  doctor  would  pet  the  back 
of  his  mighty  head  and  tell  him  in  his  quaint  Suabian  dialect  what  a fine 
fellow  he  was.  “And  a little  child  shall  lead  them !”  Zipperlen’s  was  a beau- 
tiful childlike  character,  naive  and  pure.  He  was  a prolific  writer  on  zoological 
and  collateral  subjects.  His  excellent  work  in  this  direction  won  for  him 
many  honors  at  home  and  abroad.  When  Dr.  Brehm,  the  famous  zoologist, 
in  1884  visited  America,  he  included  Cincinnati  in  his  itinerary  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  meeting  his  distinguished  collaborator. 

GEORG  HOLDT,  born  at  Corunna  on  the  coast  of  Spain  in  1829,  was  the 
son  of  a naval  captain  who  served  under  Napoleon  and  had  married  a Spanish 
lady.  His  father  moved  to  Riga,  Russia,  and  here  young  Holdt  received  his 
early  education.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  Dorpat  and  took 
post-graduate  courses  in  Germany.  Under  orders  of  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment he  built  an  Insane  Asylum  at  Riga  and  had  charge  of  it  for  five  years. 
His  work  ^vas  rewarded  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia  who  decorated  him  with 
the  order  of  St.  Stanislaus.  Holdt  started  out  to  see  the  world  and  came 
to  America  in  1868.  He  was  much  impressed  with  the  possibilities  of  medical 
practice  in  Cincinnati.  He  returned  to  Europe  to  get  his  family  and  located 
in  Cincinnati  in  1870.  He  died  in  1880,  having  during  the  comparatively 
short  time  of  his  residence  built  up  a commanding  practice  among  the  German 
people  of  the  city.  He  was  a scholarly  man  of  diversified  talents.  As  an 
alienist  and  neurologist  he  enjoyed  a large  reputation.  He  was  a member 
of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  Staff. 

Among  the  talented  foreigners  who  practiced  in  this  vicinity  in  the  early 
days  was  THOMAS  HINDE,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  whose  life  reads  like  a 
romance.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  considered  the  patriarch  of  the 


1C6 


American  profession.  Dr.  Hinde  had  a large  following  in  the  Miami  Country 
although  he  preferred  to  reside  in  Newport,  Ky.,  where  he  had  a beautiful 
country  home.  According  to  Drake’s  account,  Thomas  Hinde  was  born  in 
Oxfordshire,  England,  on  the  10th  of  July,  1737.  After  receiving  a classical 
education  he  was  sent  to  London,  to  study  physic  and  surgery.  His  principal 
tutor  was  Dr.  Thomas  Brooke,  one  of  the  physicians  of  St.  Thomas’  Hospital. 
The  practice  of  this  physician  was  embodied  and  published  by  his  brother. 
Dr.  Robert  Brooke,  in  two  volumes,  which  were  popular  books  of  reference  a 
hundred  years  ago. 

In  the  year  1757,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty,  Mr.  Hinde  had  made  such 
progress,  that  his  master  presented  him  to  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons 
for  a license.  Passing  a satisfactory  examination,  he  immediately  afterwards 
received  the  commission  of  surgeon’s  mate  in  the  navy  and  sailed  for  America 
with  the  forces  under  the  command  of  General  Amherst. 

He  landed  at  New  York  on  the  10th  of  June,  1757,  and  was  afterwards, 
during  the  same  year,  with  the  squadron  at  Louisburg.  The  following  Winter 
he  spent  at  Halifax;  and  in  1758  assisted  in  the  reduction  of  Louisburg  by 
Amherst.  A new  conquest  was  now  meditated  and  our  young  surgeon  pro- 
ceeded with  the  celebrated  General  Wolfe  in  his  memorable  expedition  against 
Quebec.  It  was  his  good  fortune  to  be  attached  to  the  ship  which  bore  the 
commander-in-chief,  where  he  had  ample  opportunities  of  seeing  much  of 
that  distinguished  man  and  observing  his  operations.  His  reminiscences  of 
these  events  were  among  the  most  cherished  of  his  life.  Down  to  the  day 
of  his  death  he  was  accustomed  to  describe  the  General  as  ‘‘a  tall  robust  person 
with  fair  complexion  and  sandy  hair ; possessing  a countenance  calm,  resolute, 
confident,  and  beaming  with  intelligence.” 

Dr.  Hinde  was  near  the  General  at  the  moment  of  his  fall,  and  when  an 
aid  exclaimed:  “They  run,  they  run,”  the  doctor  heard  the  expiring  chief 
articulate  the  question:  “Who  run?”  He  was  answered:  “The  French,  sir; 
they  are  running  away  in  all  directions.”  “Then,”  said  he,  “I  die  contented,” 
and,  sinking  into  the  arms  of  the  officer  who  supported  him,  he  expired.  This 
celebrated  death  scene  has  often  been  painted,  and  in  some  of  the  pictures 
Dr.  Hinde  is  represented  as  being  present  and  feeling  the  pulse  of  the  wounded 
General. 

Dr.  Hinde  remained  in  the  service  until  1763  when  he  was  induced  by  a 
relative  to  come  to  the  United  States  and  locate  in  Virginia.  Here  he  rose  to 
great  eminence.  He  became  the  friend  and  physician  of  Patrick  Henry,  of 
Samuel  Davis,  afterwarrds  president  of  Princeton,  of  Lord  Dunmore,  Colonial 
Governor  of  Virginia  and  other  prominent  people.  In  1776  he  was  serving  the 
cause  of  his  adopted  country  against  his  mother  country. 

In  1797  Hinde  located  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  Ohio  River  and 
became  a very  popular  physician.  He  died  in  1829  rich  in  honor  and  in  the 
fullness  of  his  years.  The  only  thing  that  can  be  said  against  this  learned 


107 


and  experienced  man  (so  Drake  thinks),  is  that  he  never  wrote  a line  in  his 
life.  Perhaps  he  is  entitled  to  greater  credit  for  this  delinquency. 

Two  physicians  of  foreign  birth  were  the  Bonner  brothers.  HUGH  BON- 
NER was  born  at  Mt.  Charles,  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  in  1800.  He  came  to 
this  country  in  1817  and  located  in  Lancaster,  Ky.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  business.  He  began  to  read  medicine  and  in  1825  graduated  at  Transyl- 
vania. He  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1828  and  practiced  here  until  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1837.  His  devotion  to  duty  during  the  cholera  year,  1832,  is  a 
matter  of  record.  His  brother  STEPHEN  BONNER  came  to  this  country  in 
1825  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  graduated  at  Transylvania  in  1834.  He  located 
in  Cincinnati,  and  for  more  than  forty  years  practiced  his  profession  with 
untiring  devotion  to  the  sickj  especially  those  who  were  in  need.  He  was  a 
public-spirited  man  and  showed  great  interest  in  the  doings  of  the  profession. 


Stephen  Bonner 


Nathaniee  Foster 


He  died  in  1876.  His  son,  Stephen  Purcell  Bonner,  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1858,  served  throughout  the 
war  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon  of  the  2d  Kentucky,  afterwards  the  47th 
Ohio  Regiment,  and  located  in  Cincinnati.  The  exposure  and  hardships  of 
the  war  had  undermined  his  health.  He  died  of  tuberculosis  in  1874. 

NATHANIEL  FOSTER  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  an  eminent  man’s 
nephew  and  being  a distinguished  physician  himself.  His  mother  was  John 
Moorhead’s  sister.  Foster  saw  the  light  of  day  in  Newbliss,  County  Monaghan, 
Ireland,  in  1817.  His  father  was  an  Englishman  by  birth  and  an  officer  in 
the  English  army.  An  uncle  was  a colonel  who  had  fought  under  Wellington 
at  Waterloo.  Foster  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  mother  in  1833  to 
visit  his  uncle,  John  Moorhead,  and  decided  to  remain.  He  graduated  at  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1838  and  returned  to  Ireland  to  continue  his 
studies  in  the  Hospitals  of  Dublin.  He  eventually  located  in  Cincinnati  and 


108 


fell  heir  to  John  Moorhead’s  vast  practice.  For  nearly  forty  years  he  was 
one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  city,  beloved  by  his  colleagues,  revered 
by  his  patients  and  respected  by  everybody.  In  the  early  years  of  his  career 
he  did  some  creditable  work  as  an  operator.  In  1852,  during  a cholera  epi- 
demic, he  literally  sacrificed  himself  for  the  people  of  the  city.  He  cared 


The  First  Home  of  Physio-Medic alism  in  Cincinnati  (1839) 

(Mme.  Trollope’s  Bazaar) 


little  for  medical  societies  and  would  not  accept  a position  in  a college.  For  a 
few  years  he  was  on  the  staff  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital.  He  died 
in  1882. 

Foster  in  1853  married  into  the  family  of  Gen.  William  Lytle  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  the  old  homestead,  the  “Lytle  House,”  which  was  one  of  the 
most  interesting,  historical  structures  in  Cincinnati.  Wm.  Lytle’s  son,  Gen. 
Wm.  H.  Lytle,  author  of  the  once  famous  poem:  “I  am  dying,  Egypt,  dying!”, 
who  died  for  his  country  at  Chickamauga,  was  born  in  this  house.  In  this 
house  many  guests  of  national  prominence  were  entertained  and  given  a taste 


109 


of  Cincinnati  hospitality.  Nathaniel  Foster  lived  in  this  house  for  many 
years.  This  venerable  old  homestead,  a relic  of  Cincinnati’s  pioneer  days, 
was  torn  down  in  1908,  the  protests  of  the  Ohio  Historical  Society  and  all 
other  intelligent  and  patriotic  citizens  of  Cincinnati  notwithstanding.  The 
councilman  in  whose  ward  the  Lytle  House  was  located,  decided  that  it  must 
come  down  for  reasons  only  known  to  himself.  Not  wishing  to  soil  the  pages 
of  this  book  or  to  dishonor  the  fair  name  of  Cincinnati,  I prefer  to  suppress 
the  name  of  this  individual  who,  since  emerging  from  the  shadow  of  a State 
prison,  has  been  a conspicuous  figure  in  the  political  life  of  the  city,  a living 
parody  on  civil  decency. 

The  year  1839  was  in  a double  sense  a memorable  one  for  Cincinnati.  It 
marked  the  disappearance  of  Daniel  Drake  from  the  local  theater  of  action  and 
noted  the  advent  of  a unique  character  who  introduced  sectarianism  in  Cincin- 
nati and  for  forty  years  occupied  a position  of  more  or  less  prominence  in  the 
local  profession,  Alva  Curtis,  the  founder  of  the  local  Physio-IMedical  College. 

ALVA  CURTIS  was  the  product  of  revolutionary  stock  and  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  in  Columbia,  N.  H.,  in  1797.  He  received  a good  literary 
education  and  began  life  as  a teacher.  He  took  up  medicine  as  a side  issue 
and  became  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  therapeutic  notions  expounded  by 
Samuel  Thomson.  In  1835  he  became  the  editor  of  the  ‘'Thomsonian  Recorder” 
of  Columbus,  Ohio,  an  exotic  medical  periodical,  which  under  his  management 
became  a widely  known  publication.  He  obtained  a charter  for  a Physio- 
Medical  College  in  1836.  It  went  into  operation  in  Cincinnati  in  1839  with 
Curtis  at  the  helm.  The  college  was  called  the  '‘Botanico-Medical  College”, 
afterwards  the  “American  Medical  Institute,”  later  the  “Physio-Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio,”  still  later  known  as  the  “Literary  and  Botanico-Medical  Col- 
lege” and  “Literary  and  Scientific  Institute.”  At  first  the  college  occupied 
Madame  Trollope’s  Bazaar,  Third,  east  of  Broadway,  later  on  it  was  va- 
riously located  in  the  building  of  the  Cincinnati  College,  still  later,  on  Third, 
near  Western  Row,  at  John  and  Longworth  Streets,  and  finally  in  the  old 
Corry  Homestead  which  stood  at  the  junction  of  Auburn  Avenue  and  East 
Auburn  Avenue.  The  Physio-Medical  School  had  its  palmy  days  when  it 
occupied  the  Bazaar  Building  which  Mme.  Trollope  erected  in  1828  and  which 
was  one  of  the  historic  structures  in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  was  demol- 
ished in  1881,  to  make  room  for  the  present  Lorraine  Building. 

Curtis  was  the  head,  hand  and  soul  of  the  school.  The  Thomsonians  or 
botanical  practitioners  made  a good  deal  of  noise  in  the  early  part  of  the 
last  century.  Popularly  they  were  known  as  the  “steam  doctors”  because  they 
practiced  diaphoretic  therapy  under  any  and  all  circumstances.  Their  prin- 
cipal remedies  were  sweat-baths,  lobelia  and  capsicum.  Coupled  with  these 
fundamental  principles  of  their  therapeutic  faith  was  an  intense  hatred  of 
regular  medicine.  Samuel  Thomson,  their  founder,  was  a man  of  talent,  but 
crude  and  uneducated.  C.  S.  Rafinesque,  author  of  a book  on  “The  Medical 


110 


Flora  of  North  America”  (Philadelphia,  1828),  is  really  the  originator  of 
the  botanical  movement.  He  was  a genius  whose  strange  career  puzzled  his 
contemporaries  as  much  as  it  has  been  an  enigma  to  posterity.  In  Cincinnati 
the  physio-medical  or  botanical  practitioners  had  Alva  Curtis  to  fight  for 
them  and  their  cause.  He  was  a host  in  himself,  tremendously  energetic, 
well  educated,  a good  talker  and  reasoner  and  by  nature  a fighter.  That  a 
man  of  this  character  should  in  the  course  of  time  become  greater  than  the 
cause  he  was  fighting  for,  is  not  surprising.  Throughout  his  long  and 
strenuous  career  (he  died  in  1880)  he  kept  himself  prominently  before  the 
people.  He  locked  horns  with  some  of  the  ablest  medical  men  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  John  P.  Harrison,  Roberts  Bartholow,  M.  B.  Wright  and 
others.  He  published  the  “Journal  of  Education”  in  1866  and  for  fully 


Aiwa  Curtis  \Vm.  H.  Cook 


sixteen  years  the  “Botanico-Medical  Recorder.”  With  him  the  cause  of 
physio-medicalism  in  Cincinnati  died,  showing  that  all  “systems”  in  medicine 
need  some  extraneous  support  to  prevent  collapse.  No  “movement”  in  med- 
icine can  live  which  embodies  a tendency  towards  constriction  and  restriction. 
Science  is  necessarily  free.  It  is  essentially  expansive,  not  limited;  it  is 
centrifugal,  not  centripetal.  Commercial  interests  may  keep  a “system”  alive. 
A powerful  individuality  may  keep  it  above  water.  In  the  end  any  “system” 
is  doomed,  and  rightly  so. 

Compared  to  Alva  Curtis  the  other  leaders  of  physio-medicalism  in  Cin- 
cinnati dwindle  into  insignificance.  A rival  institution  conducted  by  a few 
of  the  minor  lights  under  the  name  of  the  “Physo-Medical  College,”  also 
the  “Physio-Medical  Institute”  (founded  1859),  (Fifth  Street  and  Western 
Row)  did  not  last.  A man  whose  name  was  of  some  consequence  in  his  day, 


111 


was  William  H.  Cook  who  taught  surgery  for  a number  of  years.  He  was 
the  author  of  a work  on  surgery  and  had  a wide  reputation  as  an  operator. 
The  “Physio-Medical  Institute”  was  suspended  in  1885. 

After  the  advent  of  the  physio-medicalists  in  1839,  other  schools  of  prac- 
tice were  quick  to  follow.  Before  the  first  half  of  the  century  had  passed, 
many  homoeopathic  and  eclectic  practitioners  had  located  in  Cincinnati.  That 
the  multiplication  of  systems  of  practice  did  not  contribute  to  the  peace  and 
comfort  of  the  profession  as  such,  can  readily  be  understood.  The  rivalry 
was  intense  and  not  very  dignified.  Analogous  to  the  old  Greeks  who  con- 
sidered every  non-Greek  a barbarian,  the  devotees  of  each  school  designated 
every  doctor  of  different  therapeutic  faith  as  a quack.  The  acrimony  of  those 


John  Bunyan  Campbell 


days  has  been  mellowed  by  the  gentle  hand  of  time.  The  horizon  has  widened. 
We  know  more  and  believe  less.  This  makes  people  charitable  towards  others 
who  know  less  and  believe  more.  Perhaps  we  all  have  begun  to  realize  that 

“Der  Geist  der  Medizin  ist  leicht  zu  fassen : 

Ihr  durchstndirt  die  gross’  und  kleine  Welt, 

Um  es  am  Ende  gehn  zu  lassen, 

Wie’s  Gott  gefallt.” 

Inasmuch  as  individual  opinions,  even  if  crystallized  into  schools  or 
“movements”  in  medicine,  are,  per  se^  rather  a source  of  energy  expended 
in  the  interests  of  truth,  they  are  really  levers  of  progress.  All  depends 
on  the  individual  who  fathers  the  opinions.  The  greatest  achievement  of 
recent  days  is  the  policy  of  the  progressive  men  in  the  profession  to  ignore 
the  opinion  or  its  crystallization,  the  school,  and  scrutinize  the  individual. 
Ignorance  has  no  right  to  an  opinion.  The  solution  of  the  whole  difficulty 
has  been  found  in  the  establishment  of  an  educational  criterion  by  which 


112 


all  individuals  in  the  profession  shall  be  judged,  in  the  exactment  of  an 
iron-clad  rule  that  only  educated  men  shall  enter  the  medical  school  and 
that  only  well-informed  medical  students  shall  be  allowed  to  enter  the  pro- 
fession. After  all,- the  sectarian  idea  of  medicine  becomes  a menace  only 
when  it  springs  from  ignorance  or  rascality.  This  phase  of  the  subject  has 
been  amply  illustrated  in  the  medical  history  of  Cincinnati.  In  this  con- 
nection it  seems  proper  to  speak  of  the  many  so-called  “schools”  and  “col- 
leges” that  existed  in  the  city  before  the  days  of  medical  legislation.  The 
story  of  these  enterprises  would  eloquently  illustrate  the  arrogance  of  ig- 
norance, supported  by  the  credulity  of  mental  imbecility,  in  fact,  all  the 
vagaries  of  the  human  mind,  unaided  by  honesty  or  knowledge.  It  is  hardly 
worth  while  to  disinter  these  malodorous  carcasses  from  the  grave  of  ob- 
livion. Cincinnati  had  more  than  her  share  of  disgrace  in  harboring  diploma- 
mills  and  disreputable  “schools.”  It  is  a sickening  chapter  in  her  history. 
There  is  only  one  individual  whose  memory  ought  to  be  preserved  because 
he  exemplifies  the  possibilities  of  schemes  executed  under  the  cloak  of  med- 
icine. He  is  the  type  of  an  entire  class  and  as  such  is  necessarily  of  value 
to  the  medical  historian.  This  man  was  the  Cagliostro  of  Medical  Cincin- 
nati, John  Bunyan  Campbell,  who  at  one  time  did  more  to  amuse  the  edu- 
cated and  mystify  the  ignorant  than  all  the  other  charlatans  put  together. 

Campbell  was  born  in  1820  on  Little  Pine  Creek,  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa. 
Trhe  sketch  of  his  earnest  efforts  to  find  the  truth  in  medicine,  given  by 
himself  in  the  preface  to  his  “Encyclopedia  of  Vitapathic  Practice,”  reminds 
one  of  Faust’s  “Monologue.”  This  preface  and  the  book  should  be  read  by 
every  physician  who  has  the  blues.  The  fact  that  this  man  ever  found 
even  one  human  being  who  took  him  seriously,  is  an  unfathomable  mystery. 
There  were  thousands  in  all  parts  of  the  country  who  were  his  devout 
followers,  some  of  whom,  when  the  spell  was  broken^  entered  medical  col- 
leges and  graduated  in  medicine.  Campbell  called  his  system  “vitapathy,”  a 
mongrel  mixture  of  half-digested  science,  brazen  assurance  and  medical  and 
religious  quackery.  His  graduates  were  “vitapathic  physicians  and  min- 
isters” who  were  empowered  to  heal  the  sick,  to  give  the  vitapathic  breathing 
prayer,  to  administer  the  milk-sacrament,  to  receive  and  give  forth  higher 
spiritualization,  etc.,  etc.  Campbell  wrote  a book  on  practice  and  another 
on  vitapathic  materia  medica,  in  which  he  included  all  the  quack-nostrums 
and  house-remedies  of  all  ages  and  centuries.  The  principal  therapeutic 
agent  is  “vita,”  the  vital  spirit  which  is  everywhere  and  is  introduced  into  the 
body,  if  handled  by  a properly  qualified  vitapathic  physician.  Campbell  says  : 
“The  higher  wisdom  and  spiritual  power  comes  in  at  the  top  of  the  head 
and  the  hair  must  be  parted  there  to  let  the  spirit  in,  as  hair  is  a non-con- 
ductor.” Campbell  did  not  sell  any  of  his  books,  nor  did  he  allow  his  students 
to  divulge  the  contents.  He  made  his  students  pronounce  a terrible  oath 
that  they  would  not  speak  of  the  contents  of  his  books  or  show  the  books 
to  anyone.  A statement  on  the  title  page  of  his  “Practice”  reads:  “All  dis- 


113 


coveries  and  processes,  teachings  and  practice  protected  by  United  States 
Right,  by  State  Charter  and  by  the  Highest  Divine  Right.”  Campbell 
charged  a good  fee  for  his  “course  of  instruction”  and  drew  large  classes 
of  males  and  females.  He  died  in  1904.  His  citadel  of  infamy  still  stands 
in  Fairmount,  a mute  witness  of  iniquity  unspeakable.  After  following  up 
this  man’s  career,  the  only  question  remains  whether  he  should  have  properly 
been  confined  in  a State  prison  or  in  an  insane  asylum.  His  “graduates” 
some  years  ago  could  be  found  in  every  State  in  the  Union. 

Medical  legislation  in  Ohio  was  late  coming,  but  it  came.  The  different 
laws  passed  prior  to  1896,  particularly  the  law  enacted  October  1,  1868,  did 
not  place  any  restrictions  or  impose  any  obligations  on  those  desiring  to 
practice.  The  first  attempt  to  establish  a fixed  criterion  of  efficiency  for 
colleges  and  individuals  was  made  February  27,  1896,  when  a State  Board 
of  Medical  Registration  and  Legislation  was  established  by  law.  This  law 
has  put  an  end  to  the  endemic  prevalence  of  bogus  colleges  in  Cincinnati  and 
has  had  a most  salutary  effect  on  the  legitimate  institutions,  of  which  only 
the  fittest  will  eventually  survive.  The  greatest  boon  which  the  law  of 
1896  has  conferred  on  the  profession  and  on  the  science  of  medicine  is  that 
it  has  placed  all  “schools”  and  “systems”  on  the  same  level  of  educational 
qualification.  The  requirements  are,  as  yet,  very  modest.  The  day,  how- 
ever, is  not  far  distant  when  no  one  will  be  allowed  to  study  medicine  in 
Ohio  who  has  not  a bachelor’s  degree  in  the  arts  or  sciences  and  no  one 
will  be  permitted  to  practice  who  has  not  studied  medicine  for  five  years, 
examinations  to  be  conducted  by  the  State.  The  examinations  will  include 
all  scientific  branches  of  medical  teaching.  Matters  of  faith  and  prejudice, 
including  religion,  politics  and  materia  medica,  will  be  rigorously  excluded. 
This  will  be  the  ultima  thule  of  medical  legislation. 

The  prejudice  existing  between  different  “schools”  has  given  rise  to 
many  strange  episodes  in  the  history  of  Cincinnati.  One  would  imagine 
that  great  misfortunes,  befalling  men  in  large  numbers  without  regard  to 
rank  or  station,  would  bring  them  together  on  the  common  plane  of  hu- 
manity and  make  them  forget  petty  differences.  Cincinnati  experienced  the 
ravages  of  four  epidemics  of  Asiatic  cholera  during  the  past  century,  1832, 
1849,  1866  and  1872.  In  1849  when  throughout  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  the 
grim  reaper  was  gathering  in  his  murderous  harvest  and  no  ray  of  hope 
was  peering  through  the  gloom  of  night,  the  profession  witnessed  the  strange 
spectacle  of  bitter  controversy  about  the  relative  merits  of  the  different 
systems  of  practice.  In  this  half  pathetic,  half  ludicrous  war  of  words  every 
newspaper,  religious  periodical  and  medical  journal  was  pressed  into  service 
to  publish  bulletins  from  the  scene  of  action,  manifestos,  lengthy  editorials, 
bitter  rejoinders  and  learned  criticisms.  The  homoeopaths  under  Pulte  and 
Ehrmann  published  statements  in  which  they  attempted  to  show  the  unques- 
tioned superiority  of  their  system,  by  reporting  as  many  as  twenty-five  cases 


114 


without  a death,  including  cases  that  had  been  practically  given  up  by  other 
physicians.  Their  statements  were  vehemently  attacked  by  physicians  of 
other  schools,  especially  the  Eclectics  who  feared  the  supremacy  of  their 
rivals.  The  old  files  of  the  ‘‘Gazette”  (1849)  contain  letters  addressed 
to  the  editor  by  many  well  known  physicians,  including  Daniel  Drake  and 
R.  D.  Mussey.  The  regular  school  lost  two  of  its  leading  men  from  cholera, 
John  T.  Shotwell  and  John  P.  Harrison.  Alva  Curtis,  of  course,  could  not 
refrain  from  taking  a hand  in  the  fight.  From  a historical  point  of  view, 
several  documents  are  of  peculiar  interest,  all  pertaining  to  the  cholera- 
controversy  of  1849.  One  is  the  report  on  “Cholera  in  Cincinnati,”  sub- 
mitted to  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  at  its  meeting  in  Philadel- 
phia, June  13,  1849,  by  Joseph  H.  Pulte.  This  report  refers  to  350  cases  of 
Asiatic  cholera,  treated  by  six  homoeopathic  physicians  in  Cincinnati  without 
a single  death.  The  “Institute”  accepted  the  report  with  thunderous  applause, 
the  rest  of  the  profession  received  it  cum  grano  salis.  No  one  seemed  to 
question  that  every  one  of  the  350  patients  got  well,  but  everyone  was  won- 
dering how  many  of  them  were  really  cholera  cases.  An  interesting  con- 
tribution to  the  cholera-literature  of  those  days  was  R.  D.  Mussey’s  paper 
on  “Cholera  Animalcules,”  antedating  the  bacillary  theory  fully  thirty  years. 
A layman,  John  Lea,  Esq.,  of  Cincinnati,  in  1849,  published  a paper  on  “The 
Geologic  Theory  of  Cholera.”  This  paper  is  a remarkable  production  which 
was  copied  by  the  medical  journals  of  all  schools  and  very  favorably  com- 
mented on.  The  climax  of  the  cholera  controversy  was  a brochure  on  “The 
Pretensions  of  Homoeopathy”  by  Samuel  A.  Latta,  physician  and  Methodist 
minister.  Latta  was  a remarkably  versatile  man.  After  his  demise  the  “Cin- 
cinnati Medical  Society”  held  a public  memorial  meeting,  at  which  M.  B. 
Wright  delivered  a beautiful  eulogy.  Latta  was  born  on  a farm  near  Ur- 
bana,  Ohio,  in  1804.  He  became  a licensed  practitioner  in  1826  and  located 
in  Cincinnati.  He  was  ordained  a minister  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  1829. 
He  was  an  exemplary  man,  pure  in  his  motives,  lofty  in  his  ideals,  full  of 
energy  and  moral  courage.  He  was  a devoted  lover  of  the  profession.  He 
died  in  1852.  His  brochure  on  homoeopathy  gained  for  him  a national  repu- 
tation. Abstracting  from  the  undignified  and  ill-timed  spectacle  of  quarrel- 
ing in  the  very  face  of  death,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  profession  in  those 

hours  of  visitation  served  the  cause  of  humanity  with  all  the  devotion  and 
heroism  for  which  it  has  always  been  noted.  The  cemeteries  of  the  city 
harbor  the  mouldering  remains  of  many  a doctor  who  “fell,  like  a soldier 
in  the  line  of  duty,  with  his  face  to  the  foe.”  There  is  no  monument  to 

perpetuate  the  memory  of  his  heroism,  no  one  to  tell  the  story  of  a life  that 

was  cheerfully  given  to  the  service  of  humanity.  Let  us  in  this  connection 
not  forget  the  valor  of  that  little  band  of  heroic  physicians  that  went  out  of 
Cincinnati  in  1876  during  a yellow  fever  epidemic  to  render  aid  to  the 
stricken  people  of  Memphis,  Tenn.  If  all  the  ill  that  has  been  spoken  of 
doctors,  if  all  their  real  and  alleged  frailties,  foibles  and  follies  that  have 


115 


amused  Aesop,  Plato,  INIoliere,  Jean  Paul  and  the  rest  of  mankind,  were  con- 
centrated and  expressed  in  one  word,  this  word  would  be  silenced  amid  the 
mighty  chorus  of  praise  and  gratitude  that  would  simultaneously  arise  from 
the  hearts  and  lips  of  countless  generations  and  reverberate  triumphantly 
through  the  aisles  of  time  unto  eternity.  Ours  is  the  greatest  profession 
because  it  is  the  most  human  and  most  humane  profession. 

In  the  history  of  the  Valley  of  the  Ohio  where  stood  the  cradle  of 
Western  civilization,  the  doctor  has  always  been  in  the  foreground  as  the 
ever  resourceful  and  active  champion  of  progress.  Cincinnati’s  greatest 
citizen  was  a physician,  Daniel  Drake.  Her  two  most  famous  exponents  of 
science  spent  the  best  part  of  their  lives  in  the  interests  of  medical  educa- 
tion: John  Locke  and  Daniel  Vaughn.  Three  of  the  five  original  Cincinnati 
charter-members  of  the  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio  were 
identified  with  the  medical  profession : Jedediah  Cobb,  the  anatomist,  Elijah 
Slack,  one  of  the  original  professors  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and 
John  P.  Foote,  publisher  of  the  first  medical  journal  issued  in  the  West.  In 
matters  of  education  and  public  improvements  the  physician  has  always 
wielded  the  most  powerful  influence.  The  names  of  Joseph  Ray  (1806-1855, 
graduate  of  Medical  College  of  Ohio  1830,  author  of  Ray’s  Arithmetic),  C. 
G.  Comegys  and  John  A.  Warder  will  in  this  connection  not  soon  be  for- 
gotten. Taking  it  all  in  all,  the  first  century  of  medical  life  in  Cincinnati 
presents  a proud  record  of  great  names,  great  deeds  and  great  achievements. 
Last,  but  not  least,  let  it  be  remembered  that  Cincinnati  gave  to  the  profes- 
sion of  the  United  States  its  greatest  bibliographer,  John  S.  Billings,  who 
graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1860.  The  example  of  these 
men  should  be  an  inspiration  to  the  younger  generation.  The  ideal  doctor 
is  by  education  and  association  qualified  to  be  a leader  in  any  line  of  human 
endeavor.  He  should  be  the  commanding  figure,  wherever  and  whenever  the 
interests  of  his  fellowmen  are  concerned.  In  the  Cabinet  of  the  President, 
in  the  halls  of  Congress,  in  the  Legislatures  of  States,  in  the  Councils  of  cities 
and  villages,  in  Boards  of  Education,  should  be  his  place  to  teach  and 
enforce  the  hygiene  and  sanitation  of  body,  mind  and  heart,  so  necessary  in 
the  social  and  political  life  of  our  country,  to  heal  the  wounds  inflicted  by 
unfit  public  servants  and  to  strengthen  the  health  of  the  body  politic.  What 
Homer  says  of  the  doctors  in  the  Grecian  army  before  Troy,  is  true  of  the 
physicians  of  to-day : 

“A  zuise  physician,  skilled  our  zvounds  to  heal, 

Is  more  than  armies  to  the  public  zsueal!” 


116 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OF  OHIO. 

Who  shall  decide  when  doctors  disagreef — Pope. 

(First  Decade.) 

The  circumstances  which  gave  rise  to  and  surrounded  the  founding 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  have  been  described  in  a previous 
chapter.  It  was  the  second  medical  school  in  the  West,  Transylvania 
having  preceded  it  by  one  year.  The  events  of  the  first  two  years  in  the 
life  of  the  Ohio  College  can  be  better  understood  by  a reference  to  the  posi- 
tion which  Drake  occupied  in  relation  to  the  institution  and  to  his  colleagues. 

Drake  had  personally  appealed  to  the  Legislature  for  a charter.  He  was, 
therefore,  the  founder  of  the  college.  He  had  a reputation  as  a medical 
teacher,  having  filled  a chair  in  the  Transylvania  School.  His  “Picture  of 
Cincinnati”  had  made  him  famous  as  an  author.  He  was  by  all  odds  the 
most  conspicuous  figure  in  the  medical  life  of  the  town.  That  all  these 
circumstances  were  apt  to  arouse  envy  in  the  hearts  of  smaller  men,  can 
readily  be  understood.  Adding  to  his  commanding  position  his  fervent  and 
aggressive  temperament,  the  troublesome  career  of  the  college  during  the 
first  few  years  of  its  existence  appears  as  a natural  sequence  to  the  con- 
ditions surrounding  the  very  inception  of  the  school. 

Drake  gave  the  college  its  first  home  in  a large  room  over  his  father’s 
store  at  91  Main  Street.  During  the  first  session  Drake  lectured  on  prac- 
tice, physiology  (institutes  of  medicine),  diseases  of  women  and  children. 
His  colleagues  were  Dr.  Jesse  Smith,  professor  of  anatomy  and  surgery; 
Dr.  B.  S.  Bohrer,  professor  of  materia  medica,  and  Mr.  Elijah  Slack,  pro- 
fessor of  chemistry.  Both  Smith  and  Bohrer  had  been  appointed  by  Drake. 
The  four  professors  constituted  the  first  faculty  of  the  college.  Considering 
that  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  the  foremost  medical  school  in  the 
country,  had  only  six  professors  in  her  medical  department,  the  Ohio  College 
did  not  fall  very  short  of  the  standard  of  those  days. 

JESSE  SMITH,  the  successor  of  John  D.  Godman  in  the  chair  of  surgery, 
was  the  scion  of  a distinguished  New  England  family.  At  the  time  of  his 
birth  his  uncle  was  occupying  the  gubernatorial  chair  of  New  Hampshire. 
He  was  born  in  Peterborough,  N.'  H.,  March  6,  1793  and  received  his  educa- 
tion at  Dartmouth,  graduating . in  1814.  Young  Jesse  had  made  up  his 


117 


mind  to  study  medicine,  and,  not  wishing  to  tax  the  financial  resources  of 
his  family,  took  to  teaching  school  in  order  to  have  a chance  to  save  up 
enough  money  to  pay  for  his  medical  course.  The  latter  he  took  in  Harvard 
University,  receiving  his  degree  in  1819.  In  the  following  year  he  was 
appointed  lecturer  on  anatomy  at  Dartmouth.  Before  the  end  of  the  session 
he  was  oifered  the  chair  of  anatomy  in  the  newly  founded  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  and  accepted  it. 

It  would  seem  that  posterity  has  not  dealt  kindly  with  the  memory  of 
Jesse  Smith.  This  is  mainly  due  to  the  uncharitable  references  to  him  by 
S.  D.  Gross  in  the  latter’s  “Autobiography.”  Gross  was  a man  of  intensely 
strong  likes  and  dislikes.  His  admiration  for  Daniel  Drake  was  nothing 
short  of  worship  for  the  latter  and  bitter  enmity  towards  Drake’s  antagon- 
ists. Smith  was  undoubtedly  a strong  man.  As  a surgeon  he  enjoyed  a 
great  reputation.  He  was  a bold  and  original  operator,  familiar  with  sur- 
gical literature  and  much  esteemed  as  a well-posted  anatomist.  He  had  a 
record  of  over  sixty  successful  lithotomies.  As  a lecturer  he  was  well  liked 
by  the  students,  some  of  whom  sided  with  him  against  Drake.  In  appear- 
ance he  was  a handsome  man,  over  six  feet  in  height,  broad-shouldered,  well- 
proportioned,  with  blonde  hair  and  blue  eyes.  Gross  finds  fault  with  him 
on  account  of  his  vanity.  Smith  frequently  rode  through  the  streets  of  the 
town  and  attracted  much  attention,  especially  among  the  ladies,  on  account 
of  his  fine  athletic  figure  and  proud  military  bearing.  Smith  was  a highly 
cultured  gentleman,  a fairly  good  talker  and  acknowledged  an  excellent 
teacher  of  surgery.  He  was  a man  of  strong  mind  and  indomitable  will- 
power. In  the  early  troubles  of  the  college  he  took  an  active  part  and 
never  went  out  of  his  way  to  show  hfs  dislike  of  Drake.  The  quarrels  among 
the  professors  involved  many  outsiders.  Doctor  Smith  who  violently  opposed 
Daniel  Drake  aroused  in  some  manner  or  other  the  ire  of  David  G-  Burnet, 
brother  of  Isaac  G.  Burnet,  mayor  of  the  town.  The  Burnets  were  rather 
friendly  to  Drake.  There  was  a man  in  town  at  that  time,  named  D.  I. 
Johnson,  who  conducted  a grocery  and  general  store  at  No.  86  Main  Street. 
This  man  had  a bulletin  board  in  front  of  his  place  of  business  upon  which 
he  would  advertise  his  goods  and  announce  the  dates  of  auctions  held  in  his 
place.  A notice  was  posted  on  this  board  August  28,  1821,  full  of  insulting 
epithets  applied  to  Dr.  Jesse  Smith.  The  latter  was  referred  to  as  “an  un- 
principled scoundrel,  a liar,  a poltroon  and  a coward.”  The  notice  was  signed 
by  David  G.  Burnet.  This  notice  was  an  open  invitation  to  fight  and  Jesse 
Smith  immediately  got  ready.  The  impending  duel  was  prevented  by  Wm. 
H.  Harrison  and  others  who  adjusted  matters  in  a manner  satisfactory  to 
both  sides. 

In  1831  Jesse  Smith  was  displaced  as  professor  of  surgery  by  James  M. 
Staughton  whom  Drake  had  brought  from  the  East  as  professor  of  surgery 
in  the  projected  faculty  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Miami  University 
(Oxford,  Ohio).  Doctor  Smith  died  of  cholera  in  1833.  There  is  no  doubt 

118 


that  during  his  incumbency  of  the  chair  of  surgery  he  had  the  welfare  of 
the  Ohio  College  at  heart,  although  his  judgment  was  often  at  fault.  He^ 
was  a head-strong,  implacable  man,  who  never  cared  to  waste  time  and 
ef¥ort  in  amicable  and  tactful  settlements.  His  contributions  to  contempo- 
raneous literature  bore  ample  evidence  to  his  scholarship  in  medicine.  It 
is  to  be  regretted  that  there  is  no  portrait  of  Jesse  Smith  extant. 

BENJAMIN  SCHENKMEYER  BOHRER,  the  first  professor  of  materia 
medica  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  born  of  German  parents,  April  6, 
1788,  in  Georgetown,  D.  C.  He  attended  a private  academy  and  afterwards 
began  to  study  medicine,  receiving  his  medical  degree  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1810  whereupon  he  located  as  a practicing  physician  in  his 
native  town.  He  was  appointed  professor  of  materia  medica  in  the  Med- 


Benjamin  S.  Bohrer 

ical  College  of  Ohio  in  1820  and  remained  at  hi-s  post  for  one  session.  He 
was  a reserved  and  refined  gentleman  who  could  not  stand  the  association 
with  his  belligerent  colleagues.  He  returned  to  Georgetown  and  rose  to 
great  eminence  as  a physician.  He  died  in  his  home  town  in  1861.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  doings  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  He 
had  a vast  reputation  as  a classical  scholar  and  as  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
most  valuable  private  libraries  in  the  United  States. 

Elijah  Slack,  the  professor  of  chemistry,  has  already  been  referred  to. 
Mr.  Slack’s  assistant  was  Robert  Best,  a young  man  of  splendid  education, 
who  was  one  of  the  curators  of  the  Western  Museum.  His  career  has  like- 
wise been  spoken  of  in  a previous  chapter. 

The  professors  were  hard  workers.  During  the  whole  first  session  Smith 
lectured  three  times  a day  and  the  others  hardly  less  frequently.  The  stu- 
dents most  of  whom  were  practitioners  were  much  in  earnest.  The  session 


119 


lasted  five  months  and,  in  order  to  get  over  the  ground,  the  students  had  to 
.work  from  early  morning  until  late  at  night.  In  addition  to  attending  didactic 
lectures  and  demonstrations  in  chemistry  and  botany,  they  heard  clinical 
lectures  in  medicine  and  surgery  and  saw  surgical  and  obstetrical  operations. 
The  college  had  a pretentious  library  of  more  than  five  hundred  volumes, 
mostly  French  and  English  medical  works.  Then  there  were  the  mineralogical, 
geological  and  zoological  collections  of  the  Western  Museum  to  which  the 
students  had  access. 

The  student  was  obliged  to  attend  two  courses  of  lectures  and  to  prepare 
a thesis  on  some  medical  subject  which  he  had  to  defend  publicly.  The 
thesis  had  to  be  written  in  Latin,  French  or  English.  Drake  offered  a silver 
medal  to  the  student  who  would  submit  a thesis  embodying  the  results  of 
original  research.  Another  silver  medal  was  offered  the  student  composing 
the  best  Latin  thesis.  It  would  be  interesting  to  determine  how  the  educa- 
tional standard  of  the  Western  medical  student  of  today  compares  with 
that  of  the  students  that  assembled  over  old  man  Drake’s  store  in  1820,  and 
how  many  of  the  present  generation  could  successfully  compete  for  those 
silver  medals  offered  by  the  first  faculty  of  the  second  oldest  school  in  the 
West. 

The  fees  paid  by  the  students  of  the  first  class  were  $20  to  each  professor 
and  an  additional  fee  of  $5  including  admission  to  the  hospital,  use  of  the 
library  and  matriculation.  Subsequently  students  had  to  pay  a graduation- 
fee  of  $3  to  each  professor.  Every  student  was  expected  to  assist  the  faculty 
in  obtaining  anatomical  material.  This  meant  periodical  visits  to  the  neigh- 
boring graveyards.  The  diploma  adopted  by  the  first  faculty  was  almost  an 
exact  copy  of  that  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  members  of  the  first  graduating  class  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  were  James  T.  Grubbs,  Daniel  Dyer,  Isaac  Hough,  Wm.  Barnes, 
Samuel  Monett,  Ichabad  Sargeant  and  John  Wooley.  The  best  examinations 
were  passed  by  Wooley,  Monett  and  Dyer.  Hough  and  Barnes  located  in 
Cincinnati.  Jas.  T.  Grubbs  began  to  practice  in  Boone  Co.,  Ky.,  and  pre- 
sided over  a meeting  of  the  Alumni  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1875, 
fifty-four  years  after  his  graduation. 

At  a meeting  of  the  faculty  held  four  days  after  the  first  Commencement, 
John  D.  Godman  was  appointed  professor  of  surgery  and  obstetrics.  A 
sketch  of  this  excellent  physician  has  already  been  given.  Jesse  Smith  was 
appointed  professor  of  anatomy  and  physiology.  Bohrer  had  clinical  med- 
icine added  to  his  chair.  The  price  of  dissecting  tickets  was  fixed  at  $10, 
to  be  equally  divided  between  the  college  and  the  professor  of  anatomy.  It 
was  decided  to  admit  ministers  of  the  Gospel  as  students  of  medicine,  simply 
upon  payment  of  the  matriculation  fee.  The  service  at  the  Commercial  Hos- 
pital, which  by  legislative  enactment  had  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
Ohio  professors,  was  regulated.  The  professors  of  clinical  medicine  and 
surgery  were  to  be  the  medical  and  surgical  attendants  of  the  hospital  from 


120 


November  1 to  May  1,  the  professors  of  practice  and  of  anatomy  to  serve 
during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  At  this  same  meeting  it  was  decided  to 
start  a students’  library,  to  engage  a janitor  and  to  allow  the  newly  organized 
Medico-Chirurgical  Society  the  use  of  the  lecture-room  if  they  will  pay  for 
lighting  and  heating.  Stringent  rules  were  laid  down  for  the  government 
of  the  students.  It  was  “resolved  that  students  must  take  oi¥  their  hats 
during  lectures  and  keep  silent,  that  coming  late  should  be  considered  im- 
proper, that  students  who  shall  wantonly  or  maliciously  disclose  anything 
concerning  dissections  whereby  the  public  mind  may  become  excited  or 
incensed,  shall  be  suspended  or  expelled  at  the  discretion  of  the  faculty,  that 
students  fighting  or  challenging  to  fight  or  assisting  in  a fight,  shall  be  ex- 
pelled.” 

The  end  of  the  second  session  of  the  college  was  signalized  by  the  visit 
of  Drs.  Edmiston,  of  Chillicothe,  and  Canby,  of  Lebanon,  who  had  been  au- 
thorized by  the  First  Medical  Convention  of  Ohio  to  inspect  the  institution 
and  report  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State.  The  professors  requested 
them  to  recommend  the  creation  of  a board  of  trustees.  The  second  Com- 
mencement was  held  March  4,  1822.  Seven  students  graduated.  The  rival 
school  in  Lexington  had  thirty-seven  graduates  in  1822.  The  Ohio  gradu- 
ates in  1822  were  Harvey  Armington,  a Cincinnati  boy,  who  submitted  and 
defended  his  thesis  on  “The  Modus  Operandi  of  Mercury;”  John  C.  Dun- 
lavy,  of  Hamilton,  Ohio,  who  spoke  on  “Epilepsy;”  Giles  S.  B.  Hempstead, 
of  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  whose  subject  was  “The  Epidemic  Fevers  of  the 
Western  Country;”  Archibald  J.  Higgins,  of  Neville,  Ohio,  who  presented  a 
thesis  on  “The  Mechanical  Powers  as  Applicable  to  the  Cure  of  Diseases ;” 
John  L.  Richmond,  of  Newtown,  Ohio,  who  spoke  on  “Euonymus  Carolini- 
ensis”  (Indian  Arrowwood)  ; Peleg  Sisson,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  whose 
thesis  was  entitled  “Inflammation,”  and  George  F.  Jagues,  of  Posey  Co., 
Ind.,  who  discussed  “The  Sick  Stomach.”  Of  these  seven  graduates  three 
gained  distinction.  Giles  S.  B.  Hempstead,  whose  name  is  perpetuated  by 
the  Hempstead  Library,  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  became  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished physicians  in  Ohio.  John  C.  Dunlavy  became  a medical  writer 
of  note.  His  thesis  was  published  in  the  “Western  Journal  of  the  Medical 
and  Physical  Sciences”  in  1827.  John  L.  Richmond  performed  the  first 
Caesarean  section  in  this  country.  This  fact  makes  him  a historic  person- 
age.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Wm.  N.  Wishard,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  I 
was  able  to  ascertain  some  interesting  facts  concerning  Richmond.  Doctor 
Wishard’s  father.  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Wishard,,  now  ninety-three  years  old,  knew 
John  L.  Richmond  and  says  that  Richmond  had  but  two  weeks’  schooling 
in  a country  school  in  the  State  of  New  York.  The  family  drove  to  Pittsburg 
and  thence  by  flatboat  went  to  Cincinnati.  Young  Richmond  worked  in  a 
coal  mine  to  earn  his  living  and  finally  made  up  his  mind  to  again  take  up  the 
study  of  medicine  which  he  had  begun  with  a neighboring  physician  in  New 
York  State.  With  no  education  and  no  means  with  which  to  buy  clothing  and 

121 


books  and  pay  his  board  and  tuition,  he  started  in.  He  succeeded  in  getting  a 
position  as  assistant  janitor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  thus  worked 
his  way  through  school.  Richmond  located  in  Newtown,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
called  to  attend  a young  woman  with  a deformed  pelvis  who  was  about  to 
become  a mother.  Realizing  that  a Caesarean  section  offered  the  only  hope 
of  saving  the  mother,  and,  assisted  by  two  neighboring  women  who  held  a 
few  candles,  Richmond  performed  the  operation.  This  was  in  a log  cabin, 
long  before  the  days  of  anaesthesia  and  with  the  aid  of  only  a pocket  case. 
The  cabin  was  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  world  by  high  water  and  Rich- 
mond had  to  use  a skiff  to  reach  his  patient.  The  heroic  doctor  reported 
this  case  in  his  quaint  and  modest  way  in  Drake’s  “Western  Journal  of  the 
Medical  and  Physical  Sciences”  (Vol.  III.,  p.  485).  The  mother  recovered, 
but  the  child  died.  About  1832  Richmond  moved  to  Pendleton,  Ind.,  near 
Indianapolis,  and  there  practiced  medicine  and  preached  the  Gospel  as  a Bap- 
tist minister.  Soon  after  he  moved  to  Indianapolis,  became  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  and  continued  his  work  as  a physician.  His  practice 
grew  to  such  an  extent  that  he  resigned  his  pastorate,  formed  a partnership 
with  George  W.  Mears  (father  of  Dr.  J.  Ewing  Mears,  of  Philadelphia)  and 
his  son,  Corydon  Richmond.  Owing  to  failing  health  Richmond  was  com- 
pelled to  retire  from  practice.  During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  lived  with 
his  daughter  in  Covington,  Ind.,  and  died  there.  He  is  buried  in  Lafayette, 
Ind.  His  son,  Corydon  Richmond,  died  in  Kokomo,  Ind.,  a year  or  two  ago. 

Two  days  after  the  second  Commencement  (March  4,  1822)  the  row 
among  the  professors  began  in  earnest.  Godman  and  Bohrer  resigned. 
Drake  who  had  presented  bills  and  various  claims  against  the  college,  occu- 
pied the  chair.  Jesse  Smith  moved  that  Drake  be  dismissed.  Slack  seconded 
the  motion.  Drake  had  to  bring  the  motion  before  the  house.  It  was  carried 
and  Drake  left  the  chair  and  the  house.  Smith  and  Slack  adjourned  for 
thirty  minutes  and  met  again  in  Smith’s  office.  Smith  presided  and  Slack 
acted  as  secretary.  They  addressed  a note  to  the  citizens  of  Cincinnati,  in- 
forming them  of  Drake’s  dismissal. 

This  episode,  Drake’s  expulsion  from  his  own  college  and  by  men  whom 
he  himself  had  appointed,  is  one  of  the  most  pathetic  chapters  in  the  history 
of  Western  medicine.  Yet  it  was  not  without  its  ludicrous  features.  These 
Drake  himself  appreciated.  His  “Narrative  of  the  Rise  and  Fall  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio,”  published  by  him  in  the  same  year  and  dedicated 
to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State,  is  a most  remarkable  document.  Full 
of  delightful  satire  and  biting  sarcasm  it  contains  Drake’s  version  of  the 
events  that  led  up  to  the  serio-comic  climax.  The  cause  of  all  the  disturb- 
ances, as  Drake  sees  it,  was  the  intense  jealousy  of  his  colleagues,  who  felt 
that  they  were  being  completely  overshadowed  by  Drake’s  prominence  and 
reputation.  Of  Jesse  Smith  he  says: 


122 


“The  real  objects  which  the  gentlemen  proposed  to  themselves  in  my  expulsion, 
were:  First — To  drive  me  from  Cincinnati  and  succeed  to  my  professional  business. 
Second— to  reorganize  the  school  in  such  manner  as  would  give  it  a new  aspect,  and 
dissolve,  in  the  public  mind,  a connection  which  it  had  with  my  name,  so  intimate  as 
to  be  painful  to  them.  The  former  would  feed  their  avarice,  the  latter  their  vanity. 
Each  member  of  the  combination  had  additional  and  subordinate  motives  and  each  had  a 
part  to  perform,  somewhat  different  from  the  other.  I shall,  therefore,  consider  them 
separately,  beginning  with  Dr.  Jesse  Smith. 

“In  addition  to  the  two  common  objects  stated  above,  Doctor  Smith  had  two  specific 
purposes:  First — To  punish  me  for  not  joining  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Association,  and 
second,  to  gratify  and  animate  the  medical  men  who  had  made  him  their  chieftain,  by  a 
sacrifice,  the  incense  of  which  would  be  to  them  such  a sweet-smelling  savour. 

“Either  of  these  four  objects  would  have  been  with  him  a sufficient  motive  for  an 
immolation,  that  could  do  no  other  harm,  at  most,  than  destroy  an  unoffending  man  ; 
the  union  of  them  became  irresistible,  and  might  even  have  agitated  a heart  somewhat 
fortified  by  the  principles  of  virtue  and  honour. 

“To  accomplish  his  ends  without  subjecting  himself  to  the  odium  of  voting  for  my 
expulsion,  had  been  with  him  a desideratum.  It  had  for  some  time,  therefore,  been  his 
policy,  to  let  the  institution  sink  that  I might  leave  it ; after  which  it  might  be  resusci- 
tated under  his  own  auspices.” 

B.  S.  Bohrer  comes  in  for  the  following: 

“Of  this  beautiful  specimen  of  the  hcau  monde,  what  can  I say?  Who  can  paint 
the  camelion,  or  fix  the  characters  of  Proteus?  He  was  constant  in  but  two  things, — his 
pretended  friendship  for  me,  and  his  affection  for  my  station  in  the  school.” 

The  happenings  of  that  eventful  day  and  meeting  Drake  narrates  in  the 
following  way : 

“On  the  morning  of  this  day.  Doctor  Bohrer  resigned ; and  the  faculty  were  then 
reduced  to  Doctor  Smith,  Mr.  Slack  and  myself.  Immediately  after  the  citizens’  com- 
mittee was  appointed,  two  of  its  members  waited  upon  each  of  us,  and  upon  those  who 
had  resigned,  to  say  that  they  would  meet  the  next  morning,  and  to  invite  the  whole 
to  attend  personally,  or  make  written  communications  to  them.  Messrs.  Smith  and 
Slack  informed  this  sub-committee  that  they  meant,  before  they  slept,  to  expel  me  and 
let  the  investigations  be  made  afterwards.  At  8 o’clock  we  met  according  to  a previous 
adjournment,  and  transacted  some  financial  business.  A profound  silence  ensued,  our 
dim  taper  shed  a blue  light  over  the  lurid  faces  of  the  plotters,  and  everything  seemed 
ominous  of  an  approaching  revolution.  On  trying  occasions.  Doctor  Smith  is  said  to 
be  subject  to  a disease  not  unlike  Saint  Vitus’  Dance;  and  on  this  he  did  not  wholly 
escape.  Wan  and  trembling  he  raised  himself  (with  the  exception  of  his  eyes)  and 
in  lugubrious  accents  said,  ‘Mr.  President — In  the  resolution  I am  about  to  offer,  I 
am  influenced  by  no  private  feelings,  but  solely  by  a reference  to  the  public  good.’ 
He  then  read  as  follows:  ‘Voted  that  Daniel  Drake,  M.D.,  be  dismissed  from  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.’  The  portentous  stillness  recurred,  and  was  not  interrupted  till  I 
reminded  the  gentlemen  of  their  designs.  Mr.  Slack,  who  is  blessed  with  stronger 
nerves  than  his  master,  then  rose,  and  adjusting  himself  to  a firmer  balance,  put  on  a 
proper  sanctimony,  and  bewailingly  ejaculated:  ‘I  second  the  motion.’  The  crisis  had 
now  manifestly  come;  and,  learning  by  inquiry  that  the  gentlemen  were  ready  to  meet 
it,  I put  the  question,  which  carried,  in  the  classical  language  of  Doctor  Smith,  ‘nemo 
contradicente/  I could  not  do  more  than  tender  them  a vote  of  thanks,  nor  less  than 
withdraw,  and,  performing  both,  the  doctor  politely  lit  me  downstairs.” 


123 


“Doctor  Smith  immediately  elected  Mr.  Slack  Registrar ; and  Mr,  Slack  in  turn 
elected  the  Doctor  President  pro  tempore.  They  organized  themselves  into  a faculty; 
proposed  Doctor  Bohrer  for  my  professorship,  and  then  nominated  twelve  gentlemen, 
whom  they  dubbed  ‘Councillors not^  however,  as  the  event  has  shown,  to  advise  them 
what  course  to  pursue,  but  to  counsel  them  on  the  best  mode  of  reconciling  an  insulted 
community  to  that  which  they  had  adopted.” 

Jesse  Smith  and  Elijah  Slack  had  to  face  the  storm  of  public  indignation. 
They  decided  to  ask  Bohrer  to  reconsider  his  resignation  and  to  become  pro- 
fessor of  practice.  Then  they  ‘‘resolved  that  a board  of  thirteen  trustees  be 
created  to  act  in  conjunction  with  the  faculty,  to-wit;  Wm.  Burke,  Samuel  N. 
Davies,  David  K.  Este,  Nathan  Guilford,  Wm.  H.  Harrison,  Nicholas  Long- 
worth,  Rev.  Martin  Ruter,  Rev.  Oliver  M.  Spencer,  Ethan  Stone,  Micajah 
E.  Williams  the  president  of  the  faculty,  the  president  of  the  Medical  Con- 
vention of  Ohio,  the  Governor  of  Ohio  (the  last  three  ex-ofEcio).  This 
resolution  subsequently  became  a law  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed 
December  13,  1822.  The  attempt  to  appease  the  citizens,  who  sided  with 
Drake,  failed.  Smith  and  Slack  were  compelled  to  rescind  their  action,  and 
on  March  12,  1822,  Drake  was  reinstated.  They  sent  him  word  to  this  effect, 
but  he  promptly  handed  in  his  resignation.  An  action  which  was  brought 
against  him  a few  months  later  to  compel  him  to  give  up  certain  properties 
of  the  college  was  finally  amicably  adjusted.  Bellamy  Storer  was  the  at- 
torney for  the  Ohio  faculty  in  this  case. 

During  the  sessions  1822-’23  and  1823-’24  the  college  vegetated  under  the 
management  of  Jesse  Smith  and  Elijah  Slack  who  constituted  the  faculty 
and  divided  the  subjects  among  themselves.  Smith  built  a lecture  room  in 
the  rear  of  his  residence  on  Walnut  Street,  between  Third  and  Eourth 
Streets,  and  accommodated  the  college  for  these  two  terms  or  rather  during 
the  term  1822-’23.  I have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  whether  there  was  any 
attempt  made  at  teaching  during  the  following  Winter.  There  was  no  Com- 
mencement held  in  1824.  Yet  the  year  was  a memorable  one  because  of  the 
accession  of  Jedediah  Cobb  and  John  Moorhead  as  members  of  the  faculty. 
John  Moorhead,  Drake’s  implacable  enemy,  has  been  referred  to  in  a previous 
chapter.  The  other  new  arrival,  Cobb,  was  destined  to  become  a command- 
ing figure  in  the  medical  affairs  of  the  Ohio  Valley. 

JEDEDIAH  COBB,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  at  the  same  time  most 
popular  teachers  the  Ohio  College  has  ever  had,  was  born  in  Gray,  Me.,  Eebru- 
ary  27,  1800.  His  early  education  was  obtained  at  Hebron  Academy.  He 
graduated  in  medicine  at  Bowdoin  College  in  1823.  With  a view  of  practicing 
medicine,  he  moved  to  Portland,  Me.,  but  accepted  an  offer  to  become  a 
professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  During  the  session  of  1824-’25 
he  held  the  chair  of  practice,  for  which  he  had  neither  fitness  nor  liking.  The 
following  year  he  was  given  the  chair  of  anatomy  and  physiology.  In  the  exer- 
cise of  the  duties  of  this  chair,  more  especially  in  the  practical  work  on  the  ca- 
daver, Dr.  Cobb  displayed  that  phenomenal  ability  that  gained  for  him  a national 


124 


reputation  as  an  anatomist.  He  resigned  in  1837,  to  accept  the  corresponding 
chair  in  the  newly  established  Louisville  Medical  Institute.  He  remained  in 
Louisville  until  1852  when  he  joined  Daniel  Drake  and  returned  to  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio.  His  health  failing,  he  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  session 
and  retired  to  a small  farm  in  Manchester,  Mass.,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  life  in  peace  and  contentment. 


JEDEDIAH  Cobb 

Doctor  Cobb  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  characters  in  the  medical 
history  of  the  West.  He  was  not  a physician,  in  fact,  he  disliked  the  em- 
piricism of  medicine  and  the  drudgery  of  practice.  He  was  an  anatomist  by 
choice  and  vocation.  He  and  John  D.  Godman  were  considered  among  the 
greatest  American  teachers  of  anatomy  during  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  Doctor  Cobb  was  a genius  in  his  line ‘of  work,  great  as  an  anatomist, 
greater  as  a wielder  of  the  scalpel  in  the  dissecting-room,  but  greatest  of  all 
and  perhaps  unsurpassed  as  an  eloquent  and  fascinating  lecturer  on  anatomy. 
“He  was  the  very  personification  of  a neat,  gentlemanly  and  finished  lec- 
turer,” says  S.  D.  Gross.  “The  cadaver  before  him  had  to  be  fresh  and 
sweet,  the  table  clean  and  orderly,  the  dissection  exquisitely  finished,  nay, 
even  artistic.”  There  he  stood,  tall,  slender,  graceful  and  refined,  holding 
aloft  his  fine  head,  and  gazing  at  the  class  with  his  large  black  eyes  full  of 
earnestness  and  yet  beaming  with  kindly  sentiment.  His  forehead  was  ex- 
quisitely chiseled,  overshadowing  a delicate,  beautiful,  almost  spiritual  coun- 
tenance. His  voice  was  melodious  and  gentle,  his  speech  fluent,  his  delivery 
that  of  the  cultured,  self-possessed,  scholarly  gentleman.  He  was  affable 
and  cordial  in  his  dealings  with  the  students  who  idolized  him  as  they  did  no 
one  else.  He  took  no  part  in  the  perpetual  quarrels  among  the  Ohio  profes- 
sors. He  did  his  work  with  scrupulous  attention  to  details  and  with  but  one 
object  in  view:  to  make  his  students  love  and  remember  anatomy.  Doctor 
Cobb  occupied  a position  by  himself.  His  students  worshipped  him,  his  col- 


125 


leagues  in  the  faculty  loved  and  respected  him.  Thus  it  was  that  the  changes 
in  the  faculty  did  not  affect  him.  Every  one  knew  that  Cobb  the  man,  and 
Cobb  the  anatomist,  could  not  be  replaced.  He  was  the  friend  of  Drake. 
He  was  as  close  to  Moorhead  as  any  one  could  get.  Gross  loved  him  second 
only  to  Daniel  Drake.  Among  the  doctors  of  Cincinnati,  whose  sentiment 
was  severely  divided  in  regard  to  the  different  members  of  the  Ohio  faculty, 
he  was  the  one  they  all  loved.  Thus  it  is  plain  that  the  moral  influence  of 
Jedediah  Cobb  was  of  incalculable  value  to  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 

Any  medical  school  in  the  United  States  would  have  been  glad  to  possess 
a teacher  like  Doctor  Cobb.  He  refused  offers  every  year  and  remained 
loyal  to  the  old  Ohio.  In  the  Summer  time  he  would  retire  to  the  wooded 
banks  of  the  Little  Miami  for  a little  fishing  or  shooting.  He  was  an  enthu- 
siastic sportsman  and  incidentally  a most  delightful  companion  for  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  be  with  him  at  such  times.  In  1830  he  visited 
Europe  and  made  purchases  for  the  library  and  museum  of  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio.  In  1836-’37  he  lectured  on  anatomy  at  Bowdoin  College,  his 
old  Alma  Mater.  In  1852,  when  he  returned  to  Cincinnati,  he  brought  with 
him  his  son,  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Cobb,  a young  man  of  much  promise  who  had 
inherited  his  father’s  love  of  anatomy.  Dr.  Wm.  Cobb,  Jr.,  was  demonstrator 
of  anatomy  in  1852.  When  his  father  resigned,  he  likewise  left  the  city, 
settling  in  Missouri  as  a practicing  physician.  The  young  man  contracted 
tuberculosis  and  died  a few  years  later.  His  father  never  quite  recovered 
from  the  sorrow  which  his  son’s  untimely  demise  had  caused  him.  Jedediah 
Cobb  was  for  several  years  dean  of  the  faculty.  He  was  elected  to  this  office 
because  he  had  the  confidence  of  his  colleagues  who  believed  in  his  fairness, 
justice  and  sterling  integrity.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Historical 
and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio.  He  died  in  1861  and  was  laid  to.  rest  in 
Manchester,  Mass.,  within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  the  dashing 
billows  of  the  mighty  ocean  chanting  his  requiem. 

The  home  of  the  college  during  the  sessions  1824-’25  and  1825-’26  was  a 
large  room  in  the  building  once  occupied  by  the  Miami  Exporting  Co.  and 
Banking  House,  on  Eront  Street,  near  Sycamore.  The  failure  of  this  com- 
pany in  1820  occasioned  a riot.  Since  that  time  the  house  had  been  vacant. 
In  this  building  the  Ohio  College  took  on  a new  lease  on  life.  Cobb  and 
Moorhead  had  infused  new  life  into  the  college.  The  year  1825,  the  birth- 
year  of  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia,  witnessed  the  advent  of  a 
new  professor  of  materia  medica.  Whitman. 

JOSIAH  WHITMAN  came  from  West  Barnstable,  Mass.,  where  his  father 
was  a practicing  physician.  He  was  born  March  3,  1796,  took  his  degree  at 
Harvard  in  1816  and  began  to  practice  in  Plymouth,  Mass.  In  1818  he  was 
caught  in  the  act  of  resurrecting  a body  in  a neighboring  cemetery.  He 
managed  to  make  his  escape,  however,  and  dissected  the  body  at  his  leisure. 
The  coffin  containing  the  bones  he  deposited  in  his  father’s  kitchen  in  Barn- 


stable  where  it  remained,  standing  in  a corner,  for  many  years.  Josiah  did 
not  succeed  in  living  down  the  bad  name  which  his  nightly  visit  to  the  grave- 
yard had  given  him.  He  decided  to  go  West  and  located  in  Cincinnati  where 
he  became  a member  of  the  Ohio  faculty  in  1825.  He  was  a man  of  great 
natural  ability,  and,  while  not  a very  interesting  lecturer,  was  personally  very 
popular  with  the  students.  He  was  a believer  in  rest  and  comifort  under  any 
and  all  circumstances.  He  was  very  fat  and  possessed  of  an  enormous  appe- 
tite. The  flowing  bowl  was  his  steady  companion.  He  had  inherited  some 
money  from  his  father  and  found  himself  comfortably  relieved  of  the  neces- 
sity of  work.  He  was  careless  in  business  and  paid  but  little  attention  to  his 
appearance.  He  was  good-natured,  big-hearted  and  thoroughly  at  peace  with 
all  the  world.  He  remained  a bachelor  all  his  life.  His  residence  was  the 
Mecca  of  all  the  college-bred  good  fellows  of  the  town.  Dr.  Robert  Boal,  of 
Peoria,  111.,  who  gradiiated  in  1828  and  studied  under  Doctor  Whitman,  at- 
tended a reunion  of  the  Alumni  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1888  and, 
in  recalling  some  early  reminiscences  of  his  student  days,  spoke  of  his  pre- 
ceptor, Doctor  Whitman.  One  hot  Summer  day  a man  called  at  the  doctor’s 
office.  The  man  was  suffering  from  a sub-glenoid  luxation  and  young  Boal 
proceeded  to  call  the  doctor  who  was  snoring  with  more  than  ordinary  energy 
on  his  bed  in  the  back  room.  After  repeated  efforts  Boal  succeeded  in  arous- 
ing the  doctor,  who  yawned,  stretched  his  limbs,  rubbed  his  eyes  and  finally 
asked  what  the  matter  was.  When  apprised  of  the  nature  of  the  case  he 
bade  the  man  sit  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  put  his  heel  into  the  axilla,  made 
extension  of  the  arm  and  reduced  the  dislocation.  Then  he  told  young  Boal 
to  dress  the  man’s  shoulder,  turned  over  and  fell  asleep  again.  While  Doctor 
Whitman  was  slow  and  ponderous  in  word  and  action,  he  had  the  universal 
respect  of  'the  profession  as  a quick,  accurate  and  intuitive  diagnostician. 

Whitman’s  connection  with  the  college  ceased  in  1831  when  Drake’s 
faculty  of  the  proposed  Medical  Department  of  the  Miami  University  was 
absorbed  by  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  as  a measure  of  the  latter’s  self- 
preservation.  Whitman  continued  to  practice  in  Cincinnati  until  his  death 
in  1837. 

In  1825  many  new  regulations  pertaining  to  the  management  of  the  school 
were  adopted.  Altogether  about  sixty  separate  and  distinct  rules  were  laid 
down  for  professors  and  students.  These  rules  betray  the  managing  hand  of 
Moorhead,  whose  systematic  and  pedantic  manner  of  procedure  can  be  seen 
in  the  straight  and  narrow  path  which  these  rules  mark  out  for  everybody. 
The  professors  seem  to  have  gotten  along  fairly  well  with  each  other  during 
these  years.  From  time  to  time  there  were  efforts  made  to  disturb  the  tran- 
quility of  their  relations.  These  efforts  emanated  from  cliques  outside  of  the 
college,  from  officious  members  of  the  profession  throughout  the  State  and 
from  politicians  who  had  an  ax  to  grind.  The  position  of  the  college  as  a 
State  institution  made  it  possible  for  almost  anyone  to  raise  his  voice  or  take  a 


127 


hand  whenever  he  felt  inclined.  In  addition  to  this,  the  Medical  Convention 
of  Ohio  was  exercising  a kind  of  guardianship  over  the  college. 

That  the  Legislature  of  the  State  was  acting  in  good  faith  towards  the 
college  is  evident  from  an  act  passed  December  31,  1825,  whereby  the  acts  of 
January  19,  1819  (establishing  the  college)  and  December  13,  1819  (amend- 
ing the  former  act)  and  December  13,  1822  (act  for  better  regulation  of  and 
making  appropriations  for  the  college)  and  of  February  5,  1825,  (creating  a 
board  of  eleven  trustees  and  making  other  provisions)  were  repealed  and  a 
board  of  trustees  was  created,  consisting  of  eleven  members.  It  was  pro- 
vided that  no  professor  can  be  a trustee,  that  the  trustees  shall  have  the 
power  of  appointing  and  dismissing  professors,  of  establishing  new  chairs 
and  of  conferring  degrees,  the  latter  function  to  be  exercised  in  conjunction 
with  and  upon  recommendations  from  the  faculty.  This  act  of  December  31, 
1825,  signed  by  William  W.  Irvin,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
and  Allen  Trimble,  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  made  the  trustees  the  governors  of 
the  college  and  confined  the  activity  of  the  professors  to  their  sphere  as 
teachers.  All  moneys  realized  for  five  years  in  Hamilton  County  on  lax 
penalties,  auction  sales  and  auction  licenses  were  appropriated  for  the  support 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  new  board  of  trustees  consisted  of 
Wm.  Corry,  Samuel  W.  Davies,  Jacob  Burnet,  Ebenezer  H.  Pierson,  Wm.  H. 
Harrison,  Samuel  Ramsey,  Oliver  M.  Spencer,  Joseph  Guert,  Martin  Ruter, 
David  K.  Este  and  Nathaniel  Wright.  Dr.  Samuel  Ramsey  was  the  president 
of  the  new  board.  He  was  born  in  1781  in  York,  Pa.,  came  to  Cincinnati  in 
1808,  entered  into  a partnership  with  Dr.  Richard  Allison  and  died  in  1831. 
His  remains  were  interred  in  the  old  Presbyterian  cemetery,  now  Washington 
Park,  just  in  front  of  the  Twelfth  Street  entrance.  His  tomb  was  the  last  one 
to  be  removed.  He  was  universally  respected  on  account  of  his  integrity, 
philanthropy  and  knowledge.  He  had  no  diploma  but  was  considered  a good, 
reliable  physician.  He  was  a stickler  on  correct  form  and  made  the  Com- 
mencements of  the  Ohio  College  occasions  of  much  ceremony.  He  presided 
at  these  events  and  presented  the  graduates  with  their  diplomas  in  a most 
dignified  and  impressive  manner  while  he  pronounced  these  words  with  much 
earnestness  and  unction : 

“Pro  auctoritate  mihi  ab  hisce  Ciiratoribus  Collegii  commissa  vos  ad  Doctoris 
gradum  in  Medicina  admitto ; vobisqne  hunc  librum  trade  cum  potestate  de  medicina 
consultandi,  etiam  praxin  caeteraque  exercendi,  quae  Medicinae  Doctores  exercere  solent : 
cujus  haec  membrana  nostri  Collegii  sigillo  ornata  testimonium  sit.” 

The  faculty  meetings  under  the  managing  hand  of  Moorhead  were  short 
and  business-like.  Moorhead  had  an  eye  for  details  and  was  a strict  parlia- 
mentarian. Even  a pair  of  candlesticks  which  were  needed  he  would  not  pur- 
chase on  his  own  responsibility.  He  brought  the  matter  before  the  faculty 
and  was  duly  authorized  to  buy  the  candlesticks.  Even  in  those  early  days 
the  advantage  of  light  on  the  subject  of  medical  education  seems  to  have 
been  appreciated  by  the  learned  attendants  at  faculty  meetings. 


128 


The  first  tangible  good  effect  of  the  new  regime  was  the  purchase  of 
ground  on  Sixth  Street,  between  Vine  and  Race,  and  the  erection  of  a suit- 
able college  building,  ninety-one  feet  in  front  by  fifty-four  in  depth.  The 
Western  Medical  Gazette  (April,  1832)  describes  the  building  as  follows: 

“The  basement  contains  commodious  quarters  for  the  janitor  and  his  family.  The 
ground  floor  contains  a capacious  lecture  hall  for  the  chemical  department,  to  which  is 
attached  a laboratory  building  and  private  room,  with  smaller  apartments  for  storing 
various  articles  ^hat  are  required  by  the  professor  of  chemistry.  The  lecture  hall  will 
accommodate  three  hundred  students.  Between  it  and  the  laboratory,  is  a partition  of 


The  Medicae  Coeeege  of  Ohio  (1827) 

folding  shutters,  which  can  be  opened  or  closed  at  pleasure.  The  shutters  are  thrown 
back  for  the  hours  of  lecture  and  closed  when  the  hall  only  is  wanted,  as  for  the 
meetings  of  the  Ohio  Medical  Lyceum.  Adjacent  to  the  chemical  hall,  is  a small  apart- 
ment, labelled  janitor’s  room.  On  the  same  floor,  (and  in  the  addition  to  the  edifice, 
which  was  completed  in  the  last  year)  is  the  lobby,  or  entrance  hall,  about  .twelve  by 
twenty-four  feet;  on  the  left  of  which  is  the  faculty  and  trustees’  room,  and  directly 
in  its  rear,  two  commodious  library  rooms.” 

“Immediately  above  the  faculty  and  library  rooms,  is  the  new  hall  for  the  use  of 
the  professors  of  materia  medica  and  theory  and  practice  of  medicine.  The  private 
entrance  to  this  apartment  (for  the  use  of  the  professors)  is  from  the  faculty  room. 
This  hall  is  fifty-four  by  thirty-one  feet,  and  will  seat  at  least  three  hundred  and  fifty 

129 


persons.  Over  this  hall  is  a cabinet  room  furnished  with  a large  skylight,  so  arranged 
as  to  exclude  the  light  at  pleasure.  This  room  is  about  eighteen  feet  square,  shelved  on 
either  side  and  having  glass  doors,  for  the  preservation  and  easy  view  of  the  prepara- 
tions. In  addition  to  this  room,  there  are  two  very  large  dissecting  rooms,  and  a 
spacious  drying  apartment.” 

“On  the  other  side  of  the  house,  and  over  the  chemical  hall,  is  the  anatomical 
theatre,  for  the  use  of  the  professors  of  anatomy  and  physiology,  surgery  and  ob- 
stetrics. This  is  a very  appropriate  room,  and  capable  of  holding  about  three  hundred 
persons.  Adjacent  to  it  is  the  private  room  of  the  professor  of  anatomy,  and  a similar 
one  for  the  professor  of  surgery,  both  of  which  are  labelled  accordingly.  Contiguous 
to  these,  are  dissecting  and  drying  rooms,  furnishing  altogether,  on  this  score,  sufficient 
accommodations  for  a class  of  practical  anatomy,  of  nearly  one  hundred  persons.  The 
anatomical  theatre  is  provided  with  a skylight,  similar  to  that  attached  to  the  cabinet 
room.” 

“The  library  contains  nearly  fifteen  hundred  volumes  of  the  most  valuable  char- 
acter, and  the  best  periodicals  and  new  works  are  constantly  added.  The  splendid 
drawings,  which,  in  point  of  number  and  usefulness,  exceed  those  of  any  other  school 
in  this  country,  have  lately  received  an  important  addition,  viz ; a painting  of  a per- 
fectly injected  subject,  considerably  larger  than  life,  making  the  entire  canvas  about 
five  by  eight  feet.  These,  together  with  the  chemical  apparatus,  and  other  important 
appendages,  for  all  of  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  liberality  of  the  State,  give  to  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  very  superior  advantages.” 

The  new  building  was  opened  in  time  for  the  session  1826-’27.  The  first 
characteristic  occurrence,  that  indicated  the  existence  of  a controlling  board 
of  trustees  was  the  appointment  in  1828  of  Dr.  Pierson  to  a professorship  in 
the  school. 

CHARLES  EDWIN  PIERSON,  for  six  years  a professor  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  was  a descendant  of  an  old  New  England  family.  He  was 
born  near  Morristown,  N.  J.,  September  1,  1787.  He  attended  the  Morristown 
Academy  where  he  was  taught  by  Samuel  Whelpley,  author  of  “The  Tri- 
angle,” and  finished  his  collegiate  education  at  Princeton  in  1807.  He  received 
his  medical  degree  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1813.  He  began 
to  practice  in  Morristown,  N.  J.,  but  owing  to  repeated  attacks  of  hemoptysis 
was  compelled  to  give  up  active  practice.  He  spent  six  years  in  Europe 
combining  the  pleasure  of  travel  with  much  practical  work  in  the  hospitals 
and  clinics.  He  returned  to  America  in  1823  and  located  in  New  York  City. 
His  brother-in-law,  Samuel  W.  Davies,  a prominent  politician  and  subse- 
quently mayor  of  Cincinnati,  persuaded  him  to  come  to  Cincinnati.  His 
father’s  family  was  since  1815  living  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  Doctor  Pierson  lo- 
cated in  Cincinnati,  and,  on  the  tide  of  his  relative’s  political  influence,  landed 
in  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the  Ohio  College.  Another  relative  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  college.  This  is  the  earliest  recorded 
instance  of  political  influence  wielded  in  the  purely  professional  affairs  of 
the  Ohio  College.  In  1835  he  returned  to  New  York,  dividing  his  time 
between  the  practice  of  medicine  and  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a member 
of  the  board  which  managed  the  public  schools  of  New  York  City.  He  gave 


130 


much  time  and  labor  to  educational  work.  He  wrote  a spelling  book  for 
children  and  introduced  many  innovations  to  improve  the  physical  and  moral 
hygiene  of  the  schools.  He  retired  from  active  work  in  1857  and  died  in 
Bergen,  N.  Y.,  in  1865.  In  appearance  Doctor  Pierson  was  of  medium  stature 
and  dark  complexion,  grave  and  reserved  in  his  manner  and  rigidly  dignified 
in  his  professional  dealings.  He  was  a total  abstainer  and  deeply  religious, 
especially  towards  the  end  of  his  life.  Drake  refers  to  him  as  one  of  the 
most  learned  and  amiable  of  the  faculty.  His  chair  was  that  of  materia 
medica,  except  during  the  session  1831-’32  when  he  held  the  chair  of  Insti- 
tutes of  Medicine  and  Medical  Jurisprudence.  The  fact  of  Doctor  Pierson 
weathering  the  storm  of  1831  when  several  of  the  old  professors  had  to 
leave  to  make  room  for  Drake’s  victorious  Eastern  phalanx,  shows  that  he 
was  a skillful  manipulator  of  persons  and  things.  Probably  the  fact  that  his 
brother-in-law,  Sam.  W.  Davies,  was  running  for  mayor  about  that  time 
and  from  1832  to  1841  was  practically  the  political  dictator  of  the  town,  had 
something  to  do  with  Doctor  Pierson’s  professional  ascendency.  That  the 
political  prowess  of  a friend  or  a relative  is  by  far  a more  powerful  lever  in 
securing  professional  prestige  and  advancement  than  personal  or  educational 
cjualifications,  has  been  frequently  observed  in  the  medical  affairs  of  Cincin- 
nati, particularly  of  late  years.  The  retention  of  Doctor  Pierson  caused  much 
comment  at  the  time.  The  noteworthy  feature  of  the  whole  situation  was 
that  a new  chair  (Institutes  of  Medicine  and  Medical  Jurisprudence)  was 
created  for  Doctor  Pierson’s  benefit,  John  Eberle  assuming  charge  of  the 
chair  of  materia  medica,  previously  held  by  Pierson.  The  following  year 
John  Eberle  was  made  professor  of  practice  and  Pierson  was  again  given  the 
chair  of  materia  medica.  There  being  no  further  need  for  the  chair  of 
Institutes  and  Jurisprudence,  it  was  abolished.  His  brother,  Ebenezer  H. 
Pierson,  was  also  a native  of  New  Jersey  and  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1818. 
He  was  a trustee  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  president  of  the  board 
of  health.  He  died  in  1828. 

The  last  four  years  of  the  first  decade  in  the  life  of  the  Ohio  College 
passed  in  comparative  quietude.  Daniel  Drake  was  watching  the  course  of 
events  with  intense  interest.  His  restless  nature  made  him  seek  means  and 
ways  of  maintaining  his  conspicuous  place  among  the  physicians  of  the  West- 
ern country.  In  1826  he  started  the  ‘‘Western  Journal  of  the  Medical  and 
Physical  Sciences”  and  thus  found  an  outlet  for  his  overflowing  mentality. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  but  a private  individual  practicing  medicine, 
he  was  and  remained  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  profession.  Apparently 
he  was  pursuing  the  noiseless  tenor  of  his  way.  In  reality  he  was  waiting 
for  a favorable  opportunity  to  even  up  old  scores.  He  had  long  ago  made 
up  his  mind  to  crush  the  school  in  which  his  arch-enemy,  John  Moorhead,  was 
occupying  the  place  which  he  had  prepared  for  himself.  The  favorable  chance 
came  in  1830  when  the  trustees  of  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  decided 
to  establish  a medical  department  in  Cincinnati  and  put  Drake  in  charge  of 

131 


it.  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia  offered  him  a chair.  Drake 
came,  saw  and  conquered.  He  made  a tremendous  impression  as  a medical 
teacher.  When  he  told  his  newly  woft  Eastern  friends  that  he  was  about  to 
establish  a new  medical  school  in  Cincinnati  and  asked  some  of  them  to  ac- 
company him  to  Cincinnati  and  join  him  in  the  faculty  of  the  new  school, 
only  two  declined  to  go : George  McClellan,  the  founder  of  Jefferson  College, 
who  was  fighting  for  supremacy  in  Philadelphia  and  did  not  wish  to  retire 
under  fire,  and  Robley  Dunglison,  who- had  already  accepted  a position  in  the 
Universify  of  Maryland  to  be  opened  to  him  as  soon  as  his  contract  with 
the  University  of  Virginia,  where  he  was  dean  of  the  medical  faculty,  would 
expire.  The  other  men  whom  Drake  asked  to  come  to  Cincinnati  accepted. 
Their  advent  in  Cincinnati  marked  the  beginning  of  the  second  decade  in  the 
life  of  the  struggling  Ohio  College. 

The  record  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during  the  first  ten  years  of 
its  existence  was  fair,  considering  the  many  tribulations  which  beset  the 
path  of  the  school.  With  a dangerous  rival  in  a neighboring  town,  Lex- 
ington, with  many  open  and  covert  enemies  at  home  and  endless  dissensions 
within  its  own  fold,  the  fact  of  its  survival  is  nothing  short  of  marvelous. 
The  relative  size  of  the  classes  of  the  two  great  rivals  was  in 


1819,  .. 

. . .none  in 

Medical  College  of  Ohio,  38 

in 

Transylvania  University. 

1820. .. 

. . . 25  “ 

a a u u g3 

it  it 

1821. .. 

CO 

o 

u u u u ^3g 

“ 

“ “ 

1822. .. 

...  18  “ 

“ “ “ “ 171 

ti  a 

1823. . . 

, , .none  “ 

“ “ “ “ 200 

“ 

1824.  .. 

...  15  “ 

“ “ “ “ 234 

“ “ 

1825. .. 

. . . 30  “ 

“ “ “ “ 281 

1826. .. 

. . . 22  “ 

“ “ “ “ 235 

1827. . . 

...  101  “ 

“ “ “ 152 

1828. . . 

...  101  “ 

u u u a 

1829. .. 

...  107  “ 

199 

“ 

1830. .. 

...  124  “ 

“ “ “ “ 211 

In  1826  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  moved  into  its  own  building  with  a 
class  of  twenty-two  students.  In  the  same  year  480  medical  students  were 
attending  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  196  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  of  New  York,  130  Harvard  University,  80  Dartmouth  College,  215 
the  University  of  Maryland,  120  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
the  Western^  District  of  the  State  of  New  York,  82  Yale  College,  124  Ver- 
mont Academy  of  Medicine,  235  Transylvania  University,  60  the  Medical 
School  of  Maine,  40  Brown  University,  42  the  University  of  Vermont,  94 
Berkshire  Medical  School  and  50  the  Medical  College  of  South . Carolina. 
Transylvania  was  second  only  to  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  The  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  was  at  the  end  of  the  list.  Lexington,  Ky.,  was  at  that 
time  the  center  of  medical  education  and  culture  in  the  entire  West. 


132 


CHAPTER  IX. 


■ THE  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OE  OHIO. 

(Second  Decade.) 

Daniel  drake  who  disappeared  from  the  scene  of  action  in  1822 
and  since  that  time  did  not  figure  in  the  affairs  of  the  college,  sud- 
denly, in  1831,  sprang  into  prominence  as  the  wielder  of  its  destinies 
and  during  the  entire  second  decade  stood  in  the  foreground  of  the  stage  of 
events.  During  all  these  years  Drake  waged  a relentless  war  of  extermina- 
tion against  the  Ohio  College  and  more  than  once  the  school  seemed  on  the 
verge  of  collapse.  If  the  college  had  been  a private  enterprise  instead  of  a 
State  institution  it  would  have  surely  succumbed. 

The  following  announcement  appeared  in  the  “Western  Journal  of  the 
Medical  and  Physical  Sciences”  (1831,  No.  1),  and  apprised  the  people  of 
Cincinnati  of  the  founding  of  a new  medical  college  in  their  town : 

MIAMI  UNIVERSITY. 

MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  of  Miami  University,  beg  leave,  respectfully,  to  announce 
that  they  have  established,  in  Cincinnati,  a Medical  Department,  which  will  go  into 
full  operation  the  ensuing  Autumn. 

The  following  gentlemen  compose  the  faculty: 

DANIEL  DRAKE,  M.D„  (late  Professor  in  Transylvania  University  and  the  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College),  Professor  of  the  Institutes  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  and 
dean  of  the  faculty. 

GEO.  McClellan,  M.D.,  (Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege), Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology. 

JOHN  EBERLE,  M.D.,  (Professor  of  Materia  Medica  in  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege), Professor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Botany. 

JAMES  M.  STAUGHTON,  M.D.,  (late  Professor  of  Surgery  in  Columbian  Col- 
lege), Professor  of  Surgery. 

JOHN  F.  HENRY,  M.D.,  of  Kentucky,  Professor  of  Obstetrics  and  the  Diseases 
of  Women  and  Children. 

THOS.  D.  MITCHELL,  M.D.,  of  Philadelphia,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Phar- 
macy. 

JOSEPH  N.  McDowell,  M.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  Adjunct  Professor  of  Anatomy 
and  Physiology. 

It  will  be  observed  that  most  of  these  gentlemen  have,  for  several  years,  been 
public  teachers,  and  are  extensively  and  advantageously  known,  both  by  their  lectures 
and  their  writings.  Composed  of  such  distinguished  professors,  the  school,  from  its 

133  ^ 


very  beginning,  must  bear  a comparison  with  any  other  in  the  United  States;  and,  as 
such,  the  board  would  respectfully  commend  it  to  the  confidence  of  the  profession 
generally. 

The  terms  and  regulations  for  the  first  course  will  be  published  in  due  time  by 
the  faculty. 

By  order  of  the  Board:  ^ BISHOP,  President. 

JOEL  COLLINS,  Secretary. 

IMiami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  Feb.  22,  1831. 

Drake  w'as  in  Philadelphia  lecturing-  at  Jefiferson  and  impatiently  waiting 
for  the  end  of  the  session.  That  he  had  no  idea  of  staying  in  the  East  when 
he  accepted  the  Jefiferson  appointment,  but  that  he  had  another  very  clearly 
defined  object  in  view,  is  apparent  from  the  fact  that  he  continued  to  edit 
the  “Western  Journal,”  and  repeatedly  stated  therein  that  “his  associations 
are  all  in  the  West  and  that  he  expected  to  live  on  this  side  of  the  mountains.” 
He  arrived  in  Cincinnati  in  the  Spring  of  1831  and  at  once  went  to  work 
organizing  the  new  school.  The  professors  and  trustees  of  the  Ohio  College 
who  at  first  had  laughed  at  his  threats,  were  thunderstruck.  A hasty  con- 
ference was  held.  Everyone  realized  that  an  open  struggle  was  out  of  the 
question.  The  Ohio  College  was  not  strong  enough  to  fight  antagonists  like 
Drake  and  his  men.  Everybody  saw  the  necessity  of  an  honorable  com- 
promise with  Drake.  Some  of  the  Ohio  trustees  went  to  see  Drake  and 
talked  things  over  with  him.  He  knew  that  he  had  the  better  of  the  fight 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  dictate  terms  of  peace.  He  was  willing  to  take  a 
chair  in  the  Ohio  College,  provided  his  men  were  also  taken  care  of  and — 
there  was  the  rub ! — all  the  offensive  characters  in  the  Ohio  school  were 
removed.  The  trustees  hesitated.  Drake  fired  a few  opening  guns  by 
giving  a few  lectures  in  the  Cincinnati  College  and  in  the  Mechanics’  Insti- 
tute to  advertise  the  new  school.  This  brought  the  Ohio  trustees  to  terms. 
Jesse  Smith  and  Elijah  Slack  who  had  expelled  him  from  his  own  school 
in  1822,  had  to  go.  Their  places  were  taken  by  Staughton  and  Mitchell,  two 
of  his  Eastern  men.  Whitman,  who  was  the  friend  of  Smith  and  Slack,  re- 
signed. His  chair  was  given  to  J.  E.  Henry  who  had  come  from  Kentucky 
to  join  the  Miami  faculty.  John  Eberle  had  come  West  with  a guarantee 
of  $2,000  per  annum.  He  was  next  to  Drake  the  most  distinguished  member 
of  the  Miami  faculty.  He  had  a great  reputation  as  a teacher  of  and  writer 
on  materia  medica.  He  was  given  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the  Ohio 
school.  C.  E.  Pierson  who  had  previously  been  the  incumbent  of  this  chair 
was  a protege  of  two  of  his  relatives  one  of  whom  was  a member  of  the 
board  of  trustees.  Of  course,  he  had  to  be  retained.  A new  chair  (medical 
jurisprudence)  was  created  for  him.  The  question  of  a chair  for  Drake 
himself  was  a difficult  problem.  John  Moorhead,  Drake’s  arch-enemy,  was 
the  professor  of  practice.  He  was  a much  respected  member  of  the  pro- 
fession, a popular  teacher  and  had  the  unanimous  support  of  the  trustees. 
After  much  wrangling  Drake  finally  accepted  a new  chair,  that  of  clinical 


134 


medicine.  Cobb  retained  the  chair' of  anatomy.  Thus  a new  faculty  had  been 
organized  which  was  composed  of  strong  men.  The  Miami  venture  was 
abandoned.  The  Ohio  trustees  felt  relieved.  Drake  was  again  a teacher  in 
the  school.  Everything  seemed  serene.  It  was  the  calm  before  the  storm, 
as  the  events  of  the  following  year  showed. 

The  faculty  was  a thoroughly  heterogeneous,  unharnionious  mixture.: 
Drake  knew  that  the  Ohio  trustees  had  yielded,  not  because  they  loved  him, 
but  because  they  had  no  choice  in  the  matter.  They  had  come  to  him  with 
peace  offerings  only  after  they  had  exhausted  every  means  at  their  command 
of  arresting  the  operations  of  the  new  school.  They  had  appealed  to  the 
Legislature.  They  had  tried  to  enjoin  Drake  by  law.  Failing  in  both,  they 
endeavored  to  kill  the  Miami  faculty  and  save  the  Ohio  school  by  strategem. 
Drake  was  not  disposed  to  yield,  but  was  finally  persuaded  by  his  own  col- 
leagues. He  probably  feared  that  the  loyalty  of  two  or  three  of  them  might 
not  hold  out  under  fire.  In  entering  the  Ohio  College  he  bound  Staughton, 
Mitchell  and  Henry  by  a solemn  pledge  not  to  desert  him  or  each  other  under 
any  circumstances.  He  distrusted  the  Ohio  contingent.  He  knew  that  they 
would  not  act  in  good  faith  after  breaking  up  the  new  school.  He  knew  that 
poor  John  Eberle  would  not  consider  any  interests  except  the  certainty  of 
drawing  his  $2,000  per  annum.  Then  there  was  Moorhead,  surly,  implacable, 
an  enemy  and  a rival  besides.  This  was  the  situation  when  the  session  of 
1831-’32  began. 

The  work  of  detaching  the  erstwhile  Miami  professors  from  each  othei 
was  carried  on  by  the  Ohio  contingent  throughout  the  whole  session.  Even 
the  students  were  involved  in  the  secret  agitation.  Staughton  fraternized 
Avith  the  trustees  and  forgot  his  allegiance  to  Drake.  Mitchell  and  Eberle 
were  men  of  ability  but  without  much  backbone.  They  permitted  many 
things  to  be  done  which  they  should  have  resented.  Pierson  wanted  to  get 
back  to  his  old  chair.  Within  a month  after  the  session  had  begun,  Henry  and 
Drake  had  been  successfully  isolated.  The  work  of  getting  rid  of  Henry  who 
was  loyal  to  Drake,  was  easy!  He  had  to  be  eliminated  at  all  hazards.  After 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  persuade  the  students  to  complain  of  Henry’s 
unfitness  for  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  chair,  the  township  trustees 
who  had  the  supervision  of  the  Commercial  Hospital,  were  next  approached. 
When  they  declined  to  interfere,  the  conspirators  in  the  board  of  trustees 
and  in  the  faculty  decided  to  reduce  the  number  of  chairs  to  six  and  rear- 
range the  personnel.  To  satisfy  Pierson  who  wanted  to  be  professor  of 
materia  medica,  Moorhead  took  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women 
and  children.  Eberle  was  made  professor  of  practice  and  Pierson  was  given 
the  coveted  chair  of  materia  medica.  In  this  way  John  F.  Henry  whose 
only  crime  was  that  he  had  remained  loyal  to  his  friend  Drake,  was  forcibly 
eliminated.  The  whole  disgraceful  proceeding  was  subsequently  exposed  by 
Henry  in  a pamphlet  of  twenty-two  pages.  Drake,  completely  isolated  and 
out-generaled,  resigned  his  chair  to  forestall  another  expulsion  and  again 

135 


became  a private  practitioner.  The  disastrous  ending  was  made  possible  by  the 
absence  of  esprit  de  corps  in  his  Miami  professors.  Staughton,  a young  am- 
bitious man,  was  easily  won  away  from  him.  Mitchell  and  Eberle  were  men 
without  stamina,  though  they  meant  well.  Henry,  the  victim,  played  a part 
which  was  not  without  a suggestion  of  heroism. 

JOHN  EBERLE.  The  humble  birth  of  John  Eberle,  his  early  struggles,  his 
brilliant  and  yet  blighted  career  and  his  tragic  death  at  a comparatively 
early  age  constitute  a pathetic  chapter  in  the  history  of  American  medicine. 
While  this  gifted  and  unfortunate  man  spent  but  a few  years  of  his  life 
in  Cincinnati,  he  may  justly  be  considered  one  of  her  eminent  medical  men. 
Some  of  his  best  work  was  done  while  he  was  a professor  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  Here  he  reached  the  zenith  of  his  fame  as  a great  medical 
teacher,  whose  name  was  spoken  with  respect  even  in  Europe,  where  his 


John  Eberue  John  P.  Harrison 

book  on  materia  medica  was  familiar  to  all  medical  students.  The  book  had 
been  translated  into  Erench  and  German  (Paris  and  Weimar).  During  his 
incumbency  of  a chair  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  he  was  considered  one 
of  the  three  great  Western  physicians,  the  other  two  being  Daniel  Drake  and 
Benj.  W.  Dudley,  of  Lexington,  Ky. 

John  Eberle  was  born  in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  December  10,  1787.  The 
statement  that  he  was  born  in  Lancaster  Co.,  Pa.,  in  1788,  is  erroneous. 
His  parents  who  were  hard-working,  respectable  German  people,  moved  to 
Pennsylvania  when  John  was  an  infant.  His  childhood  was  spent  amid 
people  who  had  clung  to  their  German  language  and  customs.  Thus  the 
boy  was  fully  twelve  years  of  age,  before  he  acquired  any  knowledge  of 
English.  He  spoke  English  with  a German  accent  all  his  life.  Those  who 
did  not  know  him  well,  considered  him  a full-fledged  German.  His  early 
education  was  scant.  He  loved  books  and  by  constant  study  and  effort  ac- 


186 


quired  a good  general  education.  He  was  a self-made  man  in  the  best  sense 
of  the  word.  Experience  has  shown  that,  in  educational  matters,  a self- 
made  man  is  usually  a badly  made  man  unless  he  is  a genius.  Considering 
that  Eberle  had  practically  no  preliminary  training  and  yet  was  in  after- 
life a splendid  Latin  scholar  and  wrote  English  with  singular  force  and 
purity,  he  must  have  had  a remarkable  mind.  His  parents  decided  that  John 
should  not  be  a mechanic  or  a farmer,  but  should  go  to  Philadelphia  to 
become  a doctor  and  live  like  a gentleman.  John  matriculated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  where  Benjamin  Rush  was  occupying  the  undisputed 
post  of  high-priest  of  American  medicine.  Eberle  graduated  in  1809,  his  in- 
augural thesis  on  “Animal  Heat”  attracting  much  attention  among  the  pro- 
fessors. He  attended  three  courses.  This,  in  and  of  itself,  would  indicate 
that  his  folks  were  not  at  that  time  in  poor  circumstances.  The  cost  of 
living  in  Philadelphia  was  rather  high  in  those  early  days.  The  aggregate 
amount  of  lecture  fees  for  one  session  was  $125,  which  had  to  be  paid  in 
advance.  Eberle  returned  home  and  began  to  practice  among  the  German 
farmers  of  Lancaster  County.  He  was  well  liked  on  account  of  his  modest 
and  honest  disposition  and  soon  acquired  a large  practice.  He  was  drawn 
into  political  wrangles  and  decided  to  go  into  politics.  He  became  a fear- 
less and  formidable  champion  of  honesty  in  political  life  and  exposed  the 
corrupt  methods  of  the  professional  politicians.  He  wrote  for  the  news- 
papers and  finally  became  the  editor  of  a political  paper.  That  he,  during 
that  time,  had  largely  given  up  the  practice  of  medicine  and  devoted  prac- 
tically all  his  time  to  political  and  editorial  work,  seems  certain.  He  held  a 
commission  as  surgeon  in  the  militia  and  saw  active  service  in  1814  at  the 
battle  of  Baltimore.  The  following  year  he  moved  to  Philadelphia,  expecting 
to  continue  his  newspaper  work.  Two  years  more  sufficed  to  completely 
nauseate  him  with  politics  and  politicians.  He  realized  that,  in  this  country,  a 
man  could  not  be  a politician  and  remain  an  honest  man.  John  Eberle’s  char- 
acter was  cast  in  an  honest  German  mould.  He  was  a dreamer,  an  idealist 
who  imagined  that  truth  and  honesty  would  have  to  triumph  in  the  end.  The 
lethargy  of  the  great  mass  of  people,  their  gullibility  and  ignorance,  disen- 
chanted him.  He  realized  that  it  was  folly  to  swim  against  the  stream  and 
expend  his  energy  in  a purposeless  struggle.  He  returned  to  his  first  love 
and  became  in  1817  a practicing  physician  in  Philadelphia. 

It  is  but  fair  to  say  that  during  his  short  career  as  a political  journalist 
he  had  not  entirely  forgotten  his  profession.  His  leisure  hours  were  given 
to  study  and  to  the  reading  of  foreign  journals.  There  was  no  medical 
journal  in  Philadelphia  at  that  time.  The  “Medical  and  Physical  Journal” 
of  the  scholarly  Barton  had  passed  out  of  existence,  as  had  likewise  Coxe’s 
“Medical  Museum.”  When  Eberle  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
he  at  once  planned  to  issue  a quarterly  medical  journal,  the  “Medical  Re- 
corder” which,  upon  its  appearance,  made  an  excellent  impression  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  Eberle  was  fortunate  in  becoming  acquainted  with 


137 


James  \\  ebster,  a publisher,  who  was  a lover  of  scientific  work  and  backed 
Eberle  in  the  new  journal  without  any  thought  of  gain  or  profit.  The  name 
of  James  \\Tbster  deserves  to  be  remembered  by  the  physicians  of  this  country. 
It  was  men  like  Webster  and  our  own  John  P.  Foote  who  lent  a helping  hand 
when  American  medicine  was  taking  its  first  faltering  footsteps.  Thomas 
D.  Mitchell  in  his  biography  of  John  Eberle,  tells  us  that  Webster  made 
annual  tours  over  the  Emited  States,  calling  on  delinquent  subscribers  for 
payment  of  arrearages,  and  soliciting  new  names,  not  by  proxy,  as  is  now 
done,  but  in  person.  “He  narrated  to  me,”  says  Mitchell,  “the  particulars  of 
one  of  his  interviews  with  a subscriber  who  was  indebted  for  four  or  five  years^ 
subscription.  This  interview  is  so  full  of  interest  to  all  publishers  and  editors  of 
medical  journals  that  I venture  to  introduce  the  story  here.  The  scene  was 
located  in  V^irginia,  and  the  subscriber  was  a highly  respectable  Virginia 
physician,  and  possibly  there  are  many  now  in  all  States  of  the  Union  in 
pretty  much  the  same  position.  After  a polite  reception,  the  doctor*  began  to 
find  fault  with  the  ‘Recorder.’  Tt  has  fallen  off  sadly,’  said  he,  ‘and  I think 
I will  cease  to  take  it;  you  ought  to  have  been  paid,  however,  long  ago,  but 
the  thing  passed  from  my  memory.’  ‘Well,’  said  Webster,  ‘I  should  like 
to  know  the  particular  numbers  to  which  you  refer,  for  we  respect  the  judg- 
ment of  our  patrons,  and  are  glad  to  take  a hint  when  it  may  profit  all 
concerned.  Please  let  me  see  the  objectionable  articles.’  The  doctor  mounted 
a table  to  reach  the  lot  of  numbers  piled  on  the  upper  shelf  of  a case,  handing 
them  down  one  by  one  with  rather  a bad  grace,  as  the  publisher  thought. 
What  must  have  been  his  surprise,  we  may  conjecture  only,  to  find  that  in 
scarcely  an  instance  had  the  leaves  been  cut  so  as  to  permit  a perusal.  It  is 
hardly  needful  to  add  that  the  subscriber  exhibited  tokens  of  mortification 
which  words  could  not  describe,  and  that  he  not  only  paid  his  dues,  but  con- 
tinued his  subscription  to  the  periodical.” 

Under  Eberle’s  editorial  management  the  “Recorder”  rose  to  a high 
rank  as  a medical  journal.  In  1822  the  Berlin  (Germany)  Medical  Society 
elected  its  editor  a corresponding  member.  In  1825  the  German  Academy 
of  the  Natural  Sciences  made  him  an  honorary  member. 

Eberle’s  work  (2  vols.)  on  “Therapeutics”  was  ready  for  the  press  in 
1822  and  the  author’s  loyal  friend  Webster  undertook  to  publish  it.  Eberle 
received  $250  for  the  manuscript  and  was  a famous  man  within  a year  after 
the  work  was  published.  About  this  time  Eberle  who  was  an  incessant 
worker,  contracted  the  opium  habit  which  gained  complete  mastery  over  him 
and  eventually  undermined  his  health. 

Eberle,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  was  considered  one  of  the  foremost 
American  physicians.  In  Philadelphia  he  had  powerful  enemies  in  the  pro- 
fession who,  by  all  manner  of  secret  opposition,  tried  to  make  his  life  mis- 
erable. In  this  they  succeeded.  Eberle  worried  a great  deal  about  the  many 
petty  annoyances  which  were  caused  by  his  cowardly  opponents.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  the  constant  brooding  eventually  made  a confirmed  drug  fiend 

138 


out  of  him.  On  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  in  the 
East  were  his  warm  friends  and  admirers.  Among  the  latter  was  George 
McClellan  that  brilliant  but  erratic  young  man,  who  after  an  imagined  insult 
at  the  hands  of  one  of  the  professors  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
determined  to  start  an  opposition  school,  and  thus  eventually  became  the 
founder  of  Jefferson  Medical  College.  Before  the  school  was  officially 
opened  as  such,  McClellan  and  Eberle,  gave  regular  lectures  in  the  old  Apol- 
lodorian  Gallery,  Walnut  Street,  opposite  Washington  Square,  and  managed 
to  attract  large  audiences  of  students  and  doctors.  In  1825  Jefferson  Col- 
lege (originally  known  as  Medical  Department  of  Jefferson  College  at  Can- 
nonsburg)  was  opened  with  John  Eberle  in  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and 
afterwards  in  that  of  practice.  He  added  to  his  reputation  as  an  author  by 
issuing  his  two  volume  work  on  Practice.  This  work  showed  his  vast  knowl- 
edge and  great  originality.  It  became  the  leading  American  text-book  on 
practice  and  passed  through  several  editions.  In  close  connection  with  his 
work  on  Practice,  appeared  a small  volume  intended  as  a kind  of  a 
vadc  mecum  for  the  student,  and  known  by  the  title  of  “Eberle’s  Notes.’' 
It  was  a duodecimo,  containing  the  skeleton  of  his  course  on  theory  and  prac- 
tice. It  had  a fair  sale  in  the  East,  and  was  so  much  sought  for  in  the  West,  in 
1832,  as  to  require  the  issue  of  a new  edition. 

The  new  school  was  for  years  involved  in  litigation  and  controversy. 
Eberle  was  sick  at  heart  and  was  glad  to  accept  the  offer  of  Daniel  Drake 
when  the  latter  appeared  in  Philadelphia  in  1830  and  organized  a faculty 
for  the  Medical  Department  of  Miami  University  which  was  to  annihilate 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  When  Eberle  arrived  in  Cincinnati  in  1831, 
the  new  school  was  absorbed  by  the  Ohio  College.  He,  shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  Cincinnati,  published  his  treatise  on  Diseases  of  Children,  and, 
in  conjunction  with  the  other  Ohio  professors,  started  the  '‘Western  Medical 
Gazette.”  He  edited  the  Gazette  with  much  vigor  and  contributed  some  of 
his  best  shorter  articles  to  its  pages. 

Eberle’s  reputation  saved  the  tottering  Ohio  College  from  collapse. 
During  the  entire  time  of  his  connection  with  the  college  he  and  J.  C.  Cross 
were  by  far  the  strongest  men  in  its  faculty.  Eberle  was  popular  with  the 
students  who  liked  his  simplicity  of  manner  and  admired  his  great  learning. 
His  lectures  were  earnest  and  clear.  He  was  not  an  orator,  but  a good 
teacher.  When  his  short  and  dumpy  figure  appeared  before  the  class,  there 
was  at  once  respectful  silence  in  the  lecture  room.  While  lecturing,  he 
would  stand  with  his  legs  wide  apart  and  his  right  hand  resting  on  the  table. 
The  boys  for  this  reason  called  him  the  "German  Tripod.”  His  voice  was 
low  and  sonorous,  his  delivery  slow  and  deliberate.  The  continuous  quarrels 
among  the  professors  and  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  school  itself  eventu- 
ally made  him  melancholy  and  morose.  Physically  he  was  not  strong.  His 
weakened  condition,  brought  on  or  aggravated  by  the  drug  habit,  reacted 
on  his  mind.  He  was  timid  and  always  undecided  and  frequently  allowed 

139 


himself  to  be  led  by  inferior  men.  He  was  morbidly  introspective  and  often 
haunted  by  imaginary  fears.  One  of  his  peculiarities  was  a dread  that  he 
would  die  on  his  birthday.  This  fear  pursued  him  for  many  years  and 
caused  him  unspeakable  anguish.  In  addition  to  these  mental  troubles  he 
was  not  in  good  circurnstances.  In  money  matters  he  was  as  helpless  as  a 
child.  He  worried  about  his  family  and  what  would  become  of  them  if  he 
should  die. 

In  1837  when  even  the  friends  of  the  Ohio  College  began  to  despair  of 
its  future,  the  rival  school  in  Lexington  was  passing  through  a most  serious 
crisis.  Some  of  its  best  professors  had  gone  to  Louisville  to  associate  them- 
selves with  the  newly  founded  Medical  Institute.  The  friends  of  Transyl- 
vania suggested  the  appointment  of  Eberle  to  the  chair  of  practice.  Eberle 
was  then  a famous  man  with  whose  writings  every  doctor  in  the  West  was 
familiar.  A guaranteed  yearly  salary  of  $4,000  was  offered  to  him  and  he 
decided  to  go  to  Lexington.  When  he  appeared  there,  haggard  and  wan, 
he  looked  like  a man  of  seventy  instead  of  fifty.  He  was  not  able  to  appear 
before  the  class.  His  condition  grew  rapidly  worse.  Death  supervened  on 
Eebruary  2,  1838.  His  body  was  taken  to  Cincinnati  and  laid  to  rest  in 
the  Episcopal  Cemetery.  His  demise  was  mourned  by  physicians  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  as  an  irretrievable  loss  that  the  art  of  medical  practice 
had  sustained. 

In  the  history  of  American  medicine  John  Eberle  will  always  occupy  a 
place  of  honor.  Even  during  his  lifetime  he  was  considered  an  international 
figure  in  medicine.  His  two  great  works  on  “Therapeutics”  and  “Practice” 
were  for  many  years  well-known  reference  books  in  Germany  where,  as 
stated  above,  translations  of  Eberle’s  books  were  issued  for  the  use  of  stu- 
dents. He  was  known  as  the  great  champion  of  physiological  drug  action 
in  contra-distinction  to  “solidism”  which  was  taught  by  another  distinguished 
professor  of  medicine  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  John  P.  Harrison. 
Reference  to  Harrison’s  therapeutic  teaching  is  made  elsewhere. 

THOMAS  D.  MITCHELL  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1791  and  received 
a splendid  literary  education  in  the  best  schools  of  his  native  town,  including 
the  academic  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  With  a view 
of  becoming  a physician  young  Mitchell  spent  one  year  in  a chemist’s  lab- 
oratory, at  the  same  time  receiving  private  instruction  from  Dr.  Parrish,  a 
learned  and  stern  Quaker  doctor.  He  matriculated  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1809  and  received  his  degree 
in  1812.  The  class  numbered  seventy,  the  total  number  of  medical 
students  being  387.  Mitchell  during  his  medical  course  paid  special  atten- 
tion to  chemistry  at  the  suggestion  of  his  favorite  teacher,  Benjamin  Rush. 
Immediately  after  receiving  his  degree  he  began  his  career  as  a teacher,  his 
first  appointment  being  that  of  professor  of  chemistry  and  physiology  in 
St.  John’s  College,  a classical  school  conducted  by  the  Lutherans.  He  prac- 


140 


ticed  in  addition  to  teaching  and  soon  became  a popular  physician.  In  1819 
he  published  a handbook  of  medical  chemistry  which  attracted  wide  atten- 
tion. When  Daniel  Drake  in  1830  organized  a faculty  for  the  projected 
Medical  Department  of  Miami  University,  he  offered  the  chair  of  chemistry 
to  Mitchell  with  a guaranteed  annual  salary  of  $2,000.  Upon  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  Miami  scheme,  Mitchell  became  professor  of  chemistry  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  and — nolens  volens — took  a very  active  part  in 
the  endless  wrangles  and  quarrels  of  the  school.  He  was  glad  to  accept  the 
chair  of  materia  medica  in  Transylvania  University  in  1835.  He  remained 
in  Lexington  until  1847,  filling  different  chairs  (chemistry,  materia  medica, 
obstetrics).  In  Lexington  he  had  a share  in  the  various  difficulties  that  were 
occasioned  by  the  pugnacious  Dudley,  the  erratic  Cross  and  others  of  lesser 
renown.  The  professors  who  had  seceded  from  Transylvania  and  had 
started  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute  wanted  him  to  teach  in  their  school. 
He  remained  loyal  to  Transylvania  and  was  roundly  abused  by  the  Louisville 
contingent  in  their  journal.  In  the  endless  controversies  in  Cincinnati  and 
Lexington  Mitchell  appears  in  the  light  of  a rather  well-meaning,  but  ex- 
tremely weak  character.  In  1847,  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  ways  of 
Western  colleges,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  to  lecture  on  practice  in  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Medicine.  He  held  this  post  until  1857  when  he 
became  professor  of  materia  medica  in  Jefferson  Medical  College.  He  died 
in  1865. 

His  “Elements  of  Chemical  Philosophy”  (600  pp.  8vo.)  appeared  in  1832 
(Carey  and  Fairbank,  Cincinnati,  publishers).  In  the  same  year  a small 
compend  (“Hints  to  Students”)  was  published  by  him.  His  “Materia  Med- 
ica and  Therapeutics”  (738  pp.  8vo.)  appeared  in  1850.  Mitchell  was  asso- 
ciate editor  of  the  Western  Medical  Gazette  in  1832  and  wrote  many  papers 
on  practical  medicine. 

As  a lecturer  and  teacher  Mitchell  was  not  much  of  a success.  He  fol- 
lowed an  alphabetical  arrangement  of  subjects,  and,  in  his  presentation  and 
delivery,  was  dry  to  the  verge  of  utter  barrenness.  He  was  full  of  his  own 
importance,  a typical  pedant  with  a monotonous  nasal  voice  and  without  any 
animation  at  any  time.  His  edition  of  “Eberle’s  Diseases  of  Children”  was 
an  arbitrary  performance.  His  “Life  of  John  Eberle”  (contained  in  Gross’ 
“Medical  Biography”)  was  a curious  production  which  he  might  have  left 
unwritten.  His  influence  in  the  various  medical  schools  with  which  he  was 
connected  was  practically  nil.  He  was  undoubtedly  a capable  and  learned 
man,  but  had  neither  the  qualifications  of  a teacher  to  command  the  respect 
of  the  students  nor  the  independence  of  thought  and  action  to  win  the  confi- 
dence of  his  colleagues.  His  inglorious  record  in  the  turbulent  times  of 
1832  is  referred  to  elsewhere.  If  Mitchell  and  Eberle  had  not  been  weak 
characters  and  had  firmly  stood  by  Drake  when  the  latter  brought  the  trustees 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  to  their  knees  in  1831,  the  medical  history 
of  Cincinnati  would  have  developed  along  totally  diflerent  lines. 


141 


JAMES  M.  STAUGHTON  was  born  in  Bordentown,  X.  J.,  in  1800,  as  the 
only  son  of  Rev.  Wm.  Stanghton  who  was  the  president  of  a female  seminary 
in  Bordentown,  later  on  became  a popular  minister  in  charge  of  a large 
Philadelphia  congregation  of  Baptists  and  ultimately  took  charge  of  a lit- 
erary college  in  Washington,  D.  C.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  young  Staugh- 
ton  received  his  medical  degree  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and 
removed  to  Washington  where  he  soon  acquired  a respectable  practice  and 
incidentally  became  professor  of  chemistry  in  Columbian  College.  Stanghton 
resigned  his  post  after  one  session  and  went  to  Europe  where  he  devoted 
nearly  two  years  to  the  study  of  surgery.  When  Columbian  College  organ- 
ized a medical  department,  the  chair  of  surgery  was  assigned  to  Stanghton 


James  M.  Staughton  Thomas  D.  Mitcheee 

upon  his  return  from  Europe.  Staughton  was  a brilliant  lecturer  and  a 
successful  operator  who  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  George  McClellan,  of 
Philadelphia.  The  latter  was  on  the  lookout  for  available  talent  for  the 
newly  founded  Jefferson  College.  Staughton,  however,  did  not  go  to  Phila- 
delphia, but  upon  invitation  of  Daniel  Drake  he  came  to  Cincinnati  to  assume 
the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  Aledical  Department  of  Miami  Unversity.  When 
consolidation  with  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  took  place,  Staughton  became 
the  professor  of  surgery  and  served,  for  a time,  as  dean  of  the  faculty. 
The  latter  fact  indicates  the  regard  in  which  he  was  held  personally  and 
professionally  by  his  colleagues  who  were  his  seniors  in  age  and  experience. 
He  was  only  thirty-one  years  old  at  that  time.  He  was  a member  of  the 
staff  of  the  Commercial  Hospital  and  made  a good  record  as  a successful 
surgeon.  That  he  was  not  spared  in  the  tumultuous  scenes  of  1831,  but 
received  his  full  share  of  tribulation,  can  be  readily  assumed.  He  was  one 
of  the  editors  of  the  IVestern  Medical  Gazette  and  contributed  many  valu- 
able papers  to  its  pages.  He  wrote  a paper  on  “The  Life  and  Services  of 


142 


Ambrose  Pare.”  His  most  meritorious  literary  production  was  a “History 
of  Lithotomy”  which  appeared  in  the  “Western  Journal  of  the  Medical 
Sciences”  (1831-’32,  page  67).  Staughton  died  of  cholera  August  6,  1833, 
only  thirty-three  years  of  age.  While  he  had  held  the  chair  of  surgery  for 
but  two  sessions,  he  gave  ample  evidence  of  ability  of  a high  order.  M.  B. 
Wright  tells  us  that  he  was  a most  inspiring  lecturer,  possessing  a fine  pres- 
ence, an  agreeable  voice  and  a pleasing  manner  of  delivery. 

JOHN  FLOURNOY  HENRY,  whose  dismissal  from  the  faculty  in  1832 
was  the  culmination  of  one  of  the  most  turbulent  sessions  of  the  unfortunate  in- 
stitution, came  from  distinguished  Kentucky  ancestry.  He  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Henry’s  Mills,  Scott  County,  Ky.,  in  1793.  His  father  was  a 


John  F.  Henry 


major-general  in  the  United  States  army  and  rendered  distinguished  services 
in  his  country’s  war  of  1812.  The  son  who  had  already  begun  the  study 
of  medicine  served  as  a surgeon’s  mate  during  this  war.  He  was  present 
at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  and  was  in  Fort  Meigs  during  its  long  siege. 
Later  he  served  under  William  H.  Harrison  in  the  latter’s  Canadian  cam- 
paign. In  1816  he  attended  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
1818  he  graduated  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York. 
He  located  in  Washington,  Ky.,  and  afterwards  practiced  in  Bois  Brule,  Mo. 
In  1822  he  opened  an  office  in  Hopkinsville  and  remained  there  until  1831. 
In  1827  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Congress  from  the  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  District.  Drake,  in  1831,  offered  him  a chair  in  the  faculty  of 
the  l^Iedical  Department  of  Miami  Lhiiversity.  He  accepted  it  and,  when  the 
consolidation  took  place,  became  professor  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of 
women  and  children  in  the  IMedical  College  of  Ohio  for  one  session.  After 
his  forcible  removal,  which  he  describes  in  a sensational  pamphlet  (1833), 


143 


he  practiced  in  Kentucky,  Illinois,  and  finally  (1843)  in  Burlington,  Iowa, 
where  he  became  very  prominent  as  a physician  and  man  of  afifairs.  He 
died  in  1873.  His  short  but  exciting  career  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
is  referred  to  elsewhere.  Drake  thought  much  of  him  on  account  of  his 
ability  as  a well-informed  and  conscientious  lecturer  and  because  of  his 
experience  in  worldly  afifairs.  He  is  the  author  of  a booklet  on  “Asiatic 
Cholera”  and  of  many  short  contributions  to  the  contemporaneous  medical 
journals.  He  was  a contributor  to  Drake’s  monumental  work  on  the  “Dis- 
eases of  the  Interior  Valley.” 

The  session  of  1831-’32  gave  rise  to  all  kinds  of  incidents  and  situations, 
some  embarrassing,  others  ludicrous  and  none  conducive  to  the  good  of  the 
school.  The  first  meeting  of  the  combined  faculty  took  place  at  the  home  of 
Jedediah  Cobb,  July  13,  1831.  There  was  the  evident  desire  on  the  part  of 
everybody  to  make  the  best  of  the  existing  conditions  and  try  to  get  along. 
In  order  to  keep  Drake  and  Moorhead  apart,  it  was  decided  that  Drake 
should  deliver  his  lectures  on  clinical  medicine  at  the  Commercial  Hospital. 
Moorhead  being  the  professor  of  practice,  stringent  rules  were  laid  down  to 
prevent  Drake  from  invading  Moorhead’s  subject.  He  had  to  “confine  him- 
self to  the  case  presented,  was  not  to  discuss  the  class  to  which  the  case 
belonged,  had  to  avoid  saying  anything  about  the  physiological,  pathological 
and  therapeutic  points  involved,  was  not  permitted  to  refer  to  method  or 
system  of  treatment  nor  to  make  use  of  hypothetical  illustrations.”  That 
Drake  felt  the  humiliation  involved  in  these  absurd  restrictions,  goes  without 
saying.  On  January  21,  1832,  he  handed  in  his  resignation.  It  was  full  of 
grievances.  He  accused  the  faculty  of  acting  in  bad  faith  towards  him,  refers 
to  the  township  trustees,  who  were  the  managers  of  the  hospital,  as  “falsifiers 
and  slanderers,”  etc.,  etc.  He  retired  more  bitter  than  ever  and  more  de- 
termined to  triumph  over  his  enemies. 

That  some  of  the  professors  meant  to  improve  conditions  in  the  school 
can  not  be  questioned.  At  the  beginning  of  the  session  more  than  $1,000  was 
spent  for  chemical  apparatus,  anatomical  models  and  manikins,  etc.-  The 
daily  papers  were  full  of  hopeful  announcements.  The  session  was  inaugu- 
rated by  a public  meeting  in  a Methodist  Church,  near  the  college.  To  pre- 
vent friction,  the  professors  decided  that  the  dean  should  be  elected  annually 
and  that  the  same  person  could  not  serve  longer  than  one  year.  To  avoid 
scandals  frequently  caused  by  the  students’  excursions  to  graveyards,  a pro- 
fessional “resurrectionist”  was  added  to  the  force  employed  in  the  school. 
The  college  library  was  enlarged  and  one  of  the  graduating  class  was  ap- 
pointed librarian.  A new  design  for  a diploma  was  adopted  and  Wm.  Per- 
kins, a renowned  New  York  engraver,  was  instructed  to  make  a plate, 
Moorhead  and  Eberle  having  conjointly  composed  the  Latin  wording  of  the 
new  diploma  which  was  destined  to  serve  its  purpose  for  over  sixty  years.  In 
spite  of  all  these  evidences  of  well-meant  activity,  the  school  did  not  thrive. 


144 


The  professors  were  fighting  among  themselves,  the  trustees  were  wrangling 
and  neither  seemingly  cared  to  make  an  effort  to  understand  the  other.  The 
students  were  deserting  the  school  and  matriculated  elsewhere.  To  make 
matters  worse,  the  cholera  broke  out  in  Cincinnati  in  1832  and  raged  with 
unabated  fury  for  nearly  two  years.  Many  prominent  physicians  succumbed, 
among  them  J.  Staughton  and  Jesse  Smith.  The  panic-stricken  city  council 
appealed  to  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  An  official  manifesto 
was  issued  by  the  latter,  calling  on  the  citizens  to  remove  filth  from  the 
streets,  lanes  and  public  places,  to  ventilate  cellars  and  to  clean  privies. 
Eberle  and  Mitchell  were  appointed  special  health  officers  and  given  full 
authority  by  the  municipal  government.  Their  report  was  published  in  the 
Cincinnati  Daily  Gazette,  June  26,  1832.  On  account  of  the  epidemic  the 
beginning  of  the  session  1832-’33  had  to  be  postponed  until  November  12. 

While  the  session  1832-’33  was  in  progress,  the  enemies  of  the  school 
in  the  town  and  throughout  the  State  were  busy.  Continued  attempts  were 
made  to  disorganize  the  school  and  demoralize  the  students.  The  news- 
papers added  to  the  general  confusion  by  scurrilous  attacks  on  the  profession. 
The  Governor  of  Ohio  sent  a committee  of  physicians  to  Cincinnati  with 
instructions  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the  college.  Of  these  examiners. 
Dr.  Robert  Thompson,  of  Columbus,  and  Dr.  Kreider,  of  Xenia,  were 
among  the  most  eminent  medical  men  in  the  State  and  friendly  to  the  col- 
lege. They  gave  everybody  a chance  to  vent  his  grievances,  examined 
more  than  forty  witnesses  and  attended  lectures  in  order  to  form  an  opinion 
in  regard  to  the  qualifications  of  the  individual  professors.  Their  report 
to  the  Governor  was  favorable  to  the  college.  In  spite  thereof  the  agitation 
in  Columbus  against  the  college  continued.  The  enemies  of  the  school 
submitted  to  the  Legislature  a memorial  signed  by  most  of  the  students  of 
the  Ohio  College  full  of  aspersions  cast  upon  the  faculty.  The  latter  sent 
Eberle  and  Mitchell  to  Columbus  to  guard  the  interests  of  the  school.  They 
remained  a week  and  were  ably  seconded  in  their  efforts  by  Dr.  Wm.  Doane 
who  was  a member  of  the  Senate.  Honest  John  Eberle  stated  on  his  return 
that  their  trip  to  Columbus,  including  all  the  expenses  of  travel,  board,  room 
and  incidentals,  had  cost  $48.50,  which  the  faculty  paid. 

The  condition  of  the  school  from  1832  to  1837  was  unspeakably  wretched. 
The  college  had  lost  its  prestige  and  had  become  the  laughing  stock  of  the 
profession  throughout  the  country.  The  '‘Boston  Medical  and  Surgical 
Journal”  (August  5,  1835)  refers  to  it  as  "an  apparently  rotten  institution” 
and  "a  house  divided  against  itself.”  While  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
tribulations  of  the  school  were  largely  created  by  extraneous  agencies,  it 
can  not  be  denied  that  the  management  of  the  institution,  both  professionally 
and  scientifically,  was  far  from  what  it  should  have  been.  The  trustees 
were,  with  few  exceptions,  men  who  had  no  fitness  for  their  positions.  It 
was  charged  against  them  that  they  on  one  occasion  forced  the  faculty  to 
confer  the  highest  honor  within  the  gift  of  the  college,  the  honorary  degree  of 

145 


Doctor  of  jMedicine,  on  an  ignorant,  unaspiring  and  obscure  individual  who 
made  his  living  as  a bookbinder  and  an  itinerant  dentist,  simply  because  he 
happened  to  be  a friend  of  one  of  the  trustees.  On  another  occasion  they 
graduated  a “steam-doctor,”  a devoted  follower  of  the  Thomsonian  system 
which  was  at  that  time  sweeping  over  the  land.  The  professors  lacked  the 
backbone  to  resent  the  meddlesome  interference  of  the  ignorant  individuals 
who  were  then,  as  they  are  sometimes  now,  appointed  trustees  of  institutions 
of  learning  in  this  country. 

Drake  was  not  idle  during  the  years  following  his  second  exit  from  the 
Ohio  College.  He  was  preparing  for  his  greatest  effort,  the  creation  of  a 
great  medical  school  in  Cincinnati  as  a monument  for  himself  and  for  the 
glory  of  the  town  he  loved.  Incidentally  he  made  up  his  mind  to  erect  this 
great  school  upon  the  ruins  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  the  one  pur- 
pose he  succeeded  as  signally  as  he  failed  in  the  other.  He  did  create  a great 
school  and  assembled  within  its  walls  the  most  brilliant  faculty  that  has  ever 
presided  over  a medical  college  in  the  West.  But  it  was  short-lived.  The 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  lived  to  see  the  downfall  of  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  Cincinnati  College  after  a gigantic  struggle  lasting  four  years. 
Drake,  whom  John  S.  Billings  calls  “the  great  organizer  and  the  great  dis- 
organizer,  the  great  founder  and  the  great  founderer,”  became  the  savior  of 
the  crumbling  Ohio  College.  The  rise  of  as  formidable  a rival  as  Drake’s 
College  led  to  the  reorganization  of  the  Ohio  College  in  1837  and  the  acces- 
sion of  a few  men  of  unc|uestionable  genius  through  whose  work  the  Ohio 
College  eventually  became  the  great  Western  school  of  medicine. 

The  events  that  marked  the  second  decade  in  the  life  of  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege were  the  downfall  of  the  proposed  Medical  Department  of  Miami  Uni- 
versity in  1831,  the  investigation  into  the  affairs  of  the  college  by  a com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  governor  in  1832,  the  death  of  Dr.  Staughton,  the 
professor  of  surgery,  and  the  appointment  of  his  successor,  Alban  Goldsmith, 
in  1833,  the  appointment  of  Samuel  D.  Gross  as  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in 
1833,  the  numberless  entanglements  that  followed  Drake’s  exit  (1832),  the 
founding  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  (1835),  the 
appointment  of  James  Conquest  Cross,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  American 
physicians  of  his  time,  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica  (1835),  the  battle  royal 
between  the  two  schools  (1835  to  1839),  the  reorganization  of  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege in  1837,  the  appointment  of  Shotwell,  Locke,  Wright,  Kirtland  and 
R.  D.  Mussey  (1837)  and  the  downfall  of  the  great  rival,  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Cincinnati  College,  in  1839. 

In  all  the  tribulations  of  the  Ohio  College  from  1830  to  1839  the  hand 
of  Daniel  Drake  was  clearly  to  be  seen.  The  students  admired  him  and 
sided  with  him  and  Henry  in  the  embroglio  of  1832.  The  charges  of  incom- 
petency brought  by  the  First  District  Medical  Society  against  the  school  in 
1833  were  inspired  by  Drake  who  also  saw  to  it  that  the  agitation  in  Colum- 
bus was  kept  up.  The  First  Medical  District  Society  (Dr.  Joshua  Martin, 


146 


of  Cincinnati  president)  brought  its  charges  not  only  against  the  faculty,  but 
also  against  the  board  of  trustees.  The  charges  refer  to  “incompetency  of 
the  professors,  degradation  of  the  school  by  ridiculously  low  fees,  low 
standing  of  the  college  as  shown  by  the  action  of  other  schools  in  refusing 
to  recognize  a course  in  the  Ohio  College  as  being  equal  to  a course  in  a 
respectable  school,  questionable  politics  as  shown  by  the  creation  of  a new 
chair  for  Dr.  Pierson,  cowardly  underhand  methods  adopted  in  the  dismissal 
of  Dr.  Henry,  discrimination  against  the  distinguished  founder  of  the  col- 
lege, incompetency  of  trustees,  negligence  of  the  professor  of  surgery  of  the 
iMedical  College  of  Ohio  in  his  service  at  the  Commercial  Hospital,  etc.,  etc.” 
These  charges  were  submitted  to  the  examiners  appointed  by  the  governor 
(see  “Western  Journal,”  1832).  In  1835  a memorial  signed  by  twenty-eight 
Cincinnati  physicians  and  one  hundred  and  eight  practitioners  throughout  the 
State  (nearly  the  entire  profession),  was  submitted  to  the  trustees  of  the  col- 
lege. The  college  is  declared  to  be  “in  a languishing  condition”  and  earnest 
appeal  is  made  to  alter  this  state  of  afifairs.  Drake  immediately  issued  a state- 
ment (Western  Journal  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  1836,  p.  172)  in  which  he 
attacked  the  trustees  and  professors  in  the  most  violent  manner.  Again  the 
olive-branch  is  offered  to  him.  He  is  asked  to  re-enter  the  school.  He  is 
willing  to  come  back  if  John  Moorhead,  his  arch-enemy,  is  dismissed.  This 
the  trustees  refused  to  consider.  In  1835  the  medical  students  held  a meeting 
and  endorsed  Drake's  stand.  In  their  anxiety  to  get  strong  men  to  accept 
chairs  in  the  school  offers  were  made  to  Eastern  celebrities,  among  them 
Silliman,  of  Yale.  No  one  was  willing  to  risk  his  reputation  by  becoming 
identified  with  the  Ohio  school.  With  the  exception  of  Eberle  and  Cobb  the 
men  who  taught  in  the  college  had  nothing  more  than  a local  reputation.  This 
and  their  habits  of  quarreling  among  themselves  were  the  charges  brought 
against  them  on  all  sides.  In  1834,  to  increase  the  number  of  students,  it 
was  decided  to  admit  “beneficiaries,”  indigent  young  men  of  good  character 
and  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  education.  Even  this  plan  proved 
futile.  The  tide  in  the  affairs  of  the  college  came  when  Drake  opened  the 
rival  school.  There  were  three  great  faculties  teaching  in  the  Middle  West 
in  1837  : that  of  Drake’s  college,  of  the  flourishing  Transylvania  school  and 
of  the  newly  founded  Louisville  Medical  Institute.  In  the  face  of  such  oppo- 
sition it  was  a question  of  life  or  death  with  the  Ohio  school.  This  led  to 
the  reorganization  of  1837  which  was  a turning  point  in  the  history  of  the 
school. 

The  number  of  students  that  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during 
the  session  of  1834-’35  was  91,  against  255  in  Transylvania  University  and 
370  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  The  size  of  the  graduating  class  in 
1831  was  26 ; in  1832,  36 ; in  1833,  19  ; in  1834,  20 ; in  1835,  27  ; in  1836,  25 ; in 
1837,  47 ; in  1838,  15 ; in  1839,  26.  The  falling  off  in  the  number  of  graduates 
in  1838  was  due  to  the  opening  of  the  Louisville  Aledical  Institute  which 
attracted  many  students  from  Kentucky  and  other  Southern  States.  The 


147 


fees  of  the  professors  during  the  second  decade  were  variable.  Some  of 
them,  for  instance  Eberle,  drew  regular  salaries  which  were  guaranteed.  The 
other  professors  divided  among  themselves  whatever  was  left.  After  the 
session  1834-’35  the  share  of  each  non-salaried  professor  was  $91  for  every 
graduate.  The  number  of  students  during  the  session  1839-1840  was  124 
with  23  graduates. 

The  history  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during  the  second  decade  is 
strikingly  portrayed  in  the  biographies  of  the  professors  who  became  identi- 
fied with  the  school  in  those  years. 


AnBAN  GonusMiTH 

ALBAN  GOLD  SMITH  (Alban  Goldsmith)  shares  with  Jesse  Smith  and 
John  Moorhead  the  opprobrium  which  seems  to  cling  to  the  men  whom  Daniel 
Drake  singled  out  as  the  objects  of  his  relentless  hatred  and  revenge.  Drake’s 
“War  of  Extermination”  was  started  by  him  in  self-defense  and  lasted  prac- 
tically twenty  years  (1820-1840).  During  all  these  years  he  was  hounded  by 
such  men  as  Moorhead  and  Smith  and  their  friends.  He  was  compelled  to 
fight  and  certainly  never  shrank  from  the  contingencies  of  self-preservation. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  Drake  was  the  storm  center  during  all  those  turbulent 
years  and  that  he  was  the  editor  of  the  widely  read  and  influential  “Western 
Journal,”  his  side  of  the  difficulty  became  more  familiar  to  the  profession  than 
that  of  his  numerous  but  scattered  adversaries.  When  Drake  approached  the 
eventide  of  life,  he  longed  for  peace,  and  deeply  regretted  many  happenings  of 
former  times.  Yet  he  could  not  undo  what  the  instinct  of  self-preservation 
had  prompted  him  to  do  with  the  aid  of  pen  and  tongue  in  years  gone  by. 
He  has  left  an  imperishable  record  of  his  enemies  sketched  by  his  pen  when 
he  was  in  the  thick  of  the  fight.  Not  one  of  his  enemies  was  so  mercilessly 
attacked  by  Drake  as  Alban  Goldsmith  who  was  a pioneer  surgeon  of  great 


148 


ability,  but  had  the  misfortune  of  becoming  a professor  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  at  the  time  when  Drake  was  determined  to  break  up  the  school. 

Alban  G.  Smith,  usually  known  as  Alban  Goldsmith,  was  a native  of  Dan- 
ville, Ky.,  and  was  born  about  1788.  He  grew  up  like  most  of  the  lads  of 
his  time,  with  lots  of  native  ambition  and  energy  but  little  chance  for  the  sat- 
isfaction and  display  of  either.  When  Ephraim  McDowell  came  back  from 
Edinburgh,  young  Goldsmith  became  his  friend  and  protege.  It  is  generally 
supposed  that  Goldsmith  was  present  in  1809  when  McDowell  performed  his 
first  ovariotomy.  In  the  course  of  time  Goldsmith  had  become  sufficiently 
familiar  with  the  principles  of  medical  and  surgical  practice  to  be  made  a full- 
fledged  associate  by  his  master.  In  1823,  four  years  after  McDowell’s  last 
recorded  ovariotomy.  Goldsmith  performed  McDowell’s  operation,  being  the 
second  man  in  the  United  States  to  make  an  ovariotomy.  About  1826  Gold- 
smith went  to  Paris  to  study  under  Civiale  who  had  introduced  lithotripsy. 
He  returned  to  America  after  two  years  and  performed  Civiale’s  operation 
for  the  first  time  in  the  United  States.  He  located  in  Louisville  and  early 
in  1833  secured  from  the  Legislature  of  the  State  the  charter  of  the  Louis- 
ville Medical  Institute.  Although  a faculty  had  been  organized,  the  Institute 
did  not  open  until  1837,  when  some  of  the  seceding  members  of  the  Tran- 
sylvania faculty  opened  the  school  under  the  charter  obtained  by  Goldsmith, 
who,  therefore,  is  the  legal  founder  of  the  institution  though  he  was  never 
connected  with  it.  In  1833  he  accepted  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  and  moved  to  Cincinnati.  He  remained  with  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege until  1837  when  the  regents  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  New  York  offered  him  the  chair  of  surgery  in  their  institution.  There  is 
no  question  that  Goldsmith  was  a clever  and  resourceful  surgeon.  He  was, 
however,  a poor  teacher  and  made  the  mistake  of  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
politics  of  the  Ohio  College.  The  most  savage  newspaper  attacks  on  Drake 
were  published  under  the  pseudonym  of  “Vindex.”  They  were  well  written 
and  created  an  immense  sensation.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  Gold- 
smith was  the  author  of  these  covert  attacks,  and  in  this  way  aroused  the 
already  much  irritated  Drake  to  renewed  efforts  of  extermination  of  his 
enemies.  Goldsmith  naturally  received  the  lion’s  share  of  Drake’s  venom. 
When  Drake  heard  of  Goldsmith’s  New  York  appointment  he  referred  to  him 
in  the  following  manner: 

“A  srnatterer  in  anatomy,  in  surgery  a mechanic;  a man  whose  fondest  friends  have 
not  claimed  for  him  either  science  or  talents;  a man  who  does  not  know  the  grammar 
or  orthography  of  his  mother  tongue,  a man  who  is  not  a graduate  and  could  never  get  a 
degree;  a man  who  has  been  thrice  published  as  a liar  in  Cincinnati  and  left  the  town 
without  telling  his  colleagues  and  friends  that  he  was  about  to  decamp.” — (W.  J.  of  M. 
Sc.,  1837-’38,  p.  163.) 

Goldsmith  resigned  his  chair  in  the  New  York  school  after  two  sessions 
and  was  succeeded  by  Willard  Parker.  He  remained  in  New  York  practicing 
genito-urinary  surgery,  and  died  about  1865.  In  his  own  line  of  work  he 


149 


had  a national  reputation.  His  classical  writings  on  lithotomy  and  lithotripsy 
were  epoch-making  in  their  importance.  He  was  probably  the  first  man  in 
the  United  States  to  ligate  the  subclavian  artery. 

JAIMES  CONQUEST  CROSS  should  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most 
brilliant,  versatile  and  cultured  men  who  have  ever  been  connected  with  a med- 
ical school  in  Cincinnati.  It  would  almost  seem  as  if  he  had  too  much  talent  for 
his  own  good.  He  lacked  the  ability  to  adapt  himself  to  persons,  things  and  con- 
ditions. The  art  of  savoir  vivre  was  totally  foreign  to  him.  His  life  was  that 
of  an  adventurer  who  kept  above  water  because  he  was  fortunate  in  possessing 
brainy  and  influential  friends  who  appreciated  his  talents  and  condoned  his 
weaknesses. 

He  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1798.  He  attended  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity and  obtained  a thorough  classical  education  whereupon  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  Lexington.  He  graduated  in  1821  and  was  appointed 
professor  of  materia  medica,  succeeding  Daniel  Drake  who  had  lectured  in 
Lexington  after  his  expulsion  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  young 
and  ambitious  professor  soon  found  himself  at  swords’  points  with  the  tyrant 
of  the  Transylvania  school,  the  tremendously  able  but  equally  erratic  Dudley, 
the  lithotomist.  After  an  open  rupture  Cross  resigned  in  1827  and  went  to 
Courtland,  Ala.,  where  he  practiced  medicine  and  wrote  some  of  his  best 
papers  for  the  Transylvania  Medical  Journal.  In  1835  when  the  trustees  of 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  had  to  face  an  almost  complete  exodus  of  the 
professors.  Cross  was  asked  to  assume  the  chair  of  materia  medica.  He  had 
the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  great  Western  medical  writers  and  owed 
his  appointment  to  his  splendid  mastery  of  the  subject  and  of  the  pen.  His 
record  as  a professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was  without  a blemish. 
With  Eberle  in  the  chair  of  practice  and  Cross  in  that  of  therapeutics,  the 
Ohio  College  had  as  strong  a combination  of  talent  as  any  institution  in  the 
country.  Eberle  and  Cross  were  fast  friends.  Shotwell,  the  dictator  of  the 
Ohio  College,  disliked  Cross  because  he  could  not  control  him.  When,  in 
the  Spring  of  1837,  Transylvania  University  asked  Cross,  the  prodigal  son, 
to  come  back  to  his  own  and  Dudley  himself  invited  him  to  again  become  a 
member  of  the  medical  faculty  of  Transylvania,  Cross  dissolved  his  disagree- 
able association  with  the  Ohio  College,  and,  together  with  his  friend  Eberle, 
moved  to  Lexington.  Dudley  was  still  the  same  irritable,  domineering  chief 
of  the  faculty.  Cross  was  just  as  aggressive  and  independent  as  he  had  been  a 
decade  before.  In  1813  the  long-expected  explosion  took  place.  It  was  in 
the  nature  of  a public  scandal  which  shocked  the  medical  profession  from 
one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.  By  means  of  pamphlets  and  counter- 
pamphlets, insertions  in  the  secular  press  and  indignation  meetings  a war 
was  waged  which  lasted  a whole  year  and  nearly  wiped  out  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  Transylvania.  Cross  was  accused  of  every  crime  in  the  calendar, 
from  drunkenness  to  rape.  Litigation  followed  in  which  Henry  Clay  rep- 


150 


resented  Cross,  Finally  matters  were  adjusted  and  Cross  went  to  Hurope 
for  rest  and  study.  When  he  returned,  the  trouble  broke  out  anew  and 
Cross  published  his  ‘b\ppeal  to  the  Aledical  Profession  of  the  United  States” 
(63  pages),  in  which  he  told  the  story  of  his  troubles  at  Transylvania.  It 
is  a valuable  historical  document  of  which  but  few  copies  exist.  After 
weighing  the  evidence,  it  is  hard  to  decide  whether  Cross  had  not  been  sinned 
against  more  than  he  sinned. 

Cross  became  a sort  of  an  itinerant  doctor.  He  never  remained  at  any  one 
place  longer  than  a year.  He  often  delivered  lectures  before  medical  classes 
but  would  not  accept  a chair.  In  1850  he  located  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
tried  to  establish  an  independent  medical  college  under  the  name  of  the 
‘Alemphis  Medical  Institute”  which  prospered  for  two  or  three  years,  but 
finally  collapsed.  Cross,  weary  at  heart  and  not  in  the  best  of  health,  re- 
turned with  his  family  to  old  Kentucky,  bought  a house  in  Maysville  and 
was  recuperating  nicely  when  sudden  death  overtook  him  in  1855  and  gave 
him  the  peace  which  the  world  had  denied  him. 

As  a medical  author  Cross  ranks  with  Drake  and  Eberle.  His  contribu- 
tions to  the  contemporary  medical  press  on  physiology  and  therapy  were 
remarkable  for  their  lucid  style  and  accuracy  of  statement.  His  clinical 
essays  and  case  reports  are  the  best  that  were  written  in  this  country  at  that 
time.  His  best  papers  were  published  in  the  Transylvania  Journal,  in  Drake’s 
Western  Journal  and  in  the  Western  and  Southern  Medical  Recorder,  of 
which  Cross  was  the  editor.  By  many  physicians  he  was  considered  the 
greatest  American  physiologist  of  his  time. 

Cross  was  a good  man  at  heart  but  he  perished  in  the  lifelong  worship  of 
the  three  things  that  are  supposed  to  be  finer  in  Kentucky  than  anywhere 
on  earth.  In  addition  thereto  he  was  an  ardent  Whig  politician.  When 
Henry  Clay  ran  for  the  Presidency  (1844),  Cross  was  his  indefatigable  sup- 
porter who  addressed  immense  masses  of  people  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and 
Virginia,  and  risked  health  and  life  in  the  service  of  his  idol,  Henry  Clay. 
The  latter,  in  recognition  of  Cross’  loyalty,  was  his  lifelong  friend  who  was 
always  ready  to  get  him  out  of  trouble  which  was  practically  a perpetual 
occupation. 

JOHN  T.  SHOT  WELL  occupies  a conspicuous  place  among  the  many  who 
helped  to  shape  the  destinies  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  one  sense 
he  is  one  of  the  foremost  characters  in  the  history  of  the  school.  He  was  a 
fine  and  popular  gentleman,  but  there  are  many  of  this  kind  who  have  been 
forgotten.  He  was  a successful  and  faithful  physician  who  commanded  an 
enormous  practice.  Thousands  of  practitioners,  as  good  and  loyal  as  he, 
rest  from  their  labors  in  the  dreamless  dust.  Their  names  even  have  passed 
from  the  memory  of  those  whose  benefactors  they  were.  Yet,  Shotwell’s 
name  will  live  as  long  as  the  name  of  the  Ohio  College.  He  was  for  fully 
one  decade  the  dens  ex  machina  of  the  school,  the  manipulator  of  medical 


151 


politics  who  wanted  to  build  up  a great  college,  but  only  as  a pedestal  for 
himself.  He  was  the  power  behind  the  throne  that  was  kept  busy  making 
and  breaking  friend  and  foe.  He  loved  and  admired  John  T.  Shotwell  better 
than  everybody  and  everything  on  earth.  In  spite  of  all  his  excellent  traits 
as  a man  and  as  a physician,  his  memory  suggests  the  darkest  and  dreariest 
days  in  the  history  of  the  college.  He  was  the  evil  spirit  of  the  school  whose 
machinations  and  insatiable  ambition  resulted  in  the  disorganization  of  1850. 
He  was  morally  responsible  for  the  springing  up  of  rival  schools.  His  death 
which  occurred  when  he  was  but  forty-three  years  of  age,  caused  the  great 
disintegrating  factor  to  disappear  from  the  theater  of  action. 

Dr.  Shotwell  was  born  in  Mason  County,  Ky.,  on  the  tenth  of  January, 
1807.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  old  his  father  sent  him  to  Lexington  where 
he  attended  the  academic  department  of  Transylvania  University  until  1825. 
Having  made  up  his  mind  to  study  medicine,  he  came  to  Cincinnati  and  began 
to  read  medicine  in  the  office  of  Daniel  Drake  who  was  his  cousin.  Shot- 
well’s  father  was  a brother  of  Drake’s  mother.  For  three  years  Shotwell 
studied  medicine  in  Drake’s  office.  He  then  became  a student  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  receiving  his  degree  in  1832.  To  improve  his  health  he  went 
South  and  spent  six  months  in  travel,  visiting  many  Southern  States  on  horse- 
back. Much  improved  in  health  he  returned  to  Cincinnati.  He  opened  an 
office  on  Walnut  Street,  below  Third  Street,  and  soon  acquired  a respectable 
patronage.’  The  cholera  epidemic  of  1832  gave  him  a chance  to  show  his 
mettle  as  a physician.  He  made  a splendid  record  as  an  energetic  and  faithful 
practitioner.  In  1832  he  married  a daughter  of  John  P.  Foote,  a public- 
spirited  citizen,  who  took  a deep  interest  in  the  perturbed  medical  affairs  of 
Cincinnati.  Through  his  cousin  Drake  and  his  father-in-law,  who  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  Shotwell  was  brought  into  close 
contact  with  the  affairs  of  the  college.  In  1835  he  was  made  demonstrator 
of  anatomy  under  Jedediah  Cobb;  the  following  year  he  was  appointed  adjunct 
professor  of  anatomy.  The  upheaval  of  1837  resulted  in  making  Shotwell 
master  of  the  situation.  John  Locke  was  in  Europe ; J.  C.  Cross,  John  Eberle, 
Jedediah  Cobb  and  A.  G.  Smith  (Goldsmith)  had  resigned.  John  Moorhead 
was  preparing  to  spend  the  summer  in  Ireland.  Shotwell,  being  the  only 
member  of  the  faculty  who  was  left  to  look  after  things,  elected  himself  dean. 
The  situation  was  a singular  one  because  his  cousin  and  preceptor,  Drake,  who 
had  started  a rival  institution  (Cincinnati  College)  in  this  way  became  his 
rival  and  eventually  his  bitter  enemy.  Drake  was  determined  to  break  up 
the  monopoly  of  the  Ohio  College  in  the  Commercial  Hospital.  He  de- 
manded a share  of  the  clinical  advantages  for  the  Cincinnati  College.  Shot- 
well  tried  to  block  Drake’s  movements  and  resorted  to  many  schemes  that 
were  not  exactly  in  keeping  with  the  conventional  notions  of  honor.  Drake 
in  1839  branded  his  cousin,  Shotwell,  publicly  as  “a  falsifier,  a coward,  an 
ingrate,  a dishonorable  competitor.”  In  this  controversy  Shotwell’s  char- 
acter certainly  appears  in  a very  strange  light.  In  the  Ohio  Legislature  the 


152 


John  T.  Shotweix 


John  Deeamater 


J.  P.  Kirteand 


R.  D.  MusSEv 


John  Locke 


153 


I\I.  IL  Wright 


interests  of  the  Ohio  College  had  been  warmly  defended  by  M.  B.  Wright 
and  J.  P,  Kirtland.  Shotwell  asked  them  to  become  professors  in  the  Ohio 
College.  Miissey  had  accepted  the  chair  of  surgery.  Thus  a new  faculty  was 
organized  and  new  life  seemed  to  have  been  infused  into  the  asthenic  Ohio 
College.  Amid  continuous  conflicts  and  quarrels,  resignations  and  perpetual 
attempts  to  rearrange  and  reorganize  the  faculty,  the  third  decade  in  the 
life  of  the  college  passed  into  history.  The  Summer  of  1842  Shotwell  spent 
in  Europe.  The  memorable  year  1849  saw  the  affairs  of  the  college  in  worse 
shape  than  ever.  The  faculty  was  hopelessly  divided  into  two  factions  and  a 
final  fight  for  the  survival  of  the  fittest  was  imminent.  Shotwell’s  staunch 
supporter  in  the  board  of  trustees  was  John  L.  Vattier,  who  was  the  sworn 
enemy  of  M.  B.  Wright.  Honest  John  Locke  was  opposed  to  Shotwell  on 
account  of  the  latter’s  methods  of  warfare.  L.  M.  Lawson  was  non-commit- 
tal. He  favored  Shotwell  because  he  was  in  control.  John  P.  Harrison  died 
before  the  session  of  1849-’50  began.  Thus  the  fight  was  practically  between 
M.  B.  Wright  and  Shotwell.  When  the  test  of  strength  came,  it  resulted  in 
Wright’s  defeat  and  expulsion.  John  Locke,  Wright’s  friend,  also  had  to  go. 
T.  O.  Edwards,  representative  from  Lancaster,  Ohio,  who  had  fought  Shot- 
well’s  battles  before  the  Ohio  Legislature,  was  rewarded  for  his  loyalty.  He 
was  made  professor  of  materia  medica.  Shotwell  was  the  undisputed  master 
of  the  situation.  He  had  succeeded  in  keeping  the  chairs  filled  but  the  morale 
of  the  school  was  hopelessly  wrecked.  Even  his  friends  had  tired  of  the  per- 
petual wrangling.  Shotwell  realized  that  his  temporary  absence  from  the 
scene  of  the  strife  was  necessary  to  pacify  the  minds  of  those  whom  he  had 
not  been  able  to  convince  of  the  purity  of  his  motives.  It  was  either  this 
thought  or  perhaps  some  skillfully  concocted  scheme  hatched  by  his  friend 
Vattier  that  prompted  Shotwell  to  resign  from  the  faculty  in  the  Spring  of 
1850.  What  his  resignation  meant  and  how  soon  he  intended  to  again  appear 
on  the  scene,  it  is  difificult  to  surmise.  That  Shotwell  was  sincere  in  his  with- 
drawal, is  hard  to  believe  in  view  of  his  previous  record  and  of  his  insatiable 
ambition  to  be  the  professor  of  surgery.  The  cherished  goal  was  plainly  within 
reach.  Mussey  was  seventy  years  of  age  and  had  lost  interest  in  the  school 
and  its  troublesome  affairs.  Yet  Shotwell  resigned,  giving  as  a reason  his 
wife’s  poor  health.  Who  can  tell  what  the  next  session  would  have  brought 
if  the  hand  of  Destiny  had  not  interfered  in  this  comedy  of  errors?  Shotwell 
died  of  cholera  July  23,  1850.  His  sudden  death  at  the  early  age  of  forty- 
three  years  was  the  pathetic  termination  of  a strange  career.  Shotwell  died 
at  a time  when  life  was  sweetest  and  seemed  full  of  promise.  With  his 
chances  for  doing  good  he  might  have  been  the  redeemer  of  the  much  afflicted 
Ohio  College. 

De  morUiis  nil  nisi  bene!  Shotwell  was  personally  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar physicians  in  the  city.  He  was  a good  mixer,  of  pleasant  address,  clever 
and  a delightful  entertainer.  He  was  a cultured  man  and  well  up  in  anatomy 
and  surgery.  He  had  a good-sized  and  symmetrical  head,  dark  hair,  project- 


154 


ing-  chin,  rather  prominent  cheek  bones,  a large  and  mild  blue  eye  and 
compressed  lips.  His  voice  was  agreeable,  his  smile  infectious,  his  whole 
conduct  good-natured.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a wit  and  a clever 
punster.  Nature  had  endowed  him  liberally  with  all  the  elements  that  make 
good  and  great  men.  In  spite  of  this  fact  his  activity  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  was  not  constructive,  but  demoralizing  and  disintegrating.  His 
policy  was  to  rule  or  to  ruin.  He  was  well  liked  by  the  students  who  nick- 
named him  “Well-shot”  because  he  had  been  shot  at  and  wounded  on  one 
of  his  body-snatching  expeditions. 

JOHN  LOCKE.  It  has  often  been  said  that  the  twentieth  century  genera- 
tion of  medical  teachers  in  Cincinnati  is  inferior  to  the  generations  that  have 
preceded  it.  Powerful  individualities  and  original  characters  are  unknown 
today.  Whence  the  decadence?  The  absolute  standard  of  medical  knowledge 
is  higher  and  more  uniform  today  than  it  was  in  the  past.  Hence  it  can  not 
be  scholastic  qualification  that  contains  the  element  of  greatness.  It  must  be 
the  individual,  the  character  of  the  unit  through  which  a standard  of  supe- 
riority is  established.  If  the  standard  has  been  lowered,  it  is  due  to  the 
diminution  of  the  character  element  in  the  unit : too  much  stereotype  and  not 
enough  type.  Whatever  favors  the  development  of  stereotypes  will  eventually 
cause  the  deterioration  of  type  or  character.  This  phase  of  the  subject  we 
will  have  occasion  to  discuss  elsewhere.  The  life  of  John  Locke  illustrated 
the  meaning  of  the  word  “type”  as  a necessary  condition  of  greatness  in  a 
medical  teacher. 

John  Locke  was  born  in  Fryeburg,  Me.,  February  19,  1792  and,  partly 
as  a result  of  instruction  received  at  the  hands  of  his  father,  a mechanic  and 
machine  constructor  of  great  skill,  partly  in  response  to  an  innate  and  never- 
satisfied  longing  for  knowledge,  was  well  versed  in  handicraft,  in  mathematics, 
in  botany  and  in  the  languages  at  a comparatively  early  age.  His  mind  ran 
in  the  direction  of  scientific  pursuits  which  inclination  prompted  him  to  take 
up  the  study  of  medicine  after  he  had  completed  a classical  course  at  an 
academy  in  Bridgeport.  While  he  was  a medical  student  (1816)  he  met  Dr. 
Nathan  Smith,  the  distinguished  founder  of  Dartmouth  Medical  School,  and 
received  much  encouragement  from  him.  In  1818  he  lectured  on  botany  at 
Dartmouth  and  other  places,  giving  practical  demonstrations  to  large  classes 
that  accompanied  him  through  the  meadows  and  woodland.  His  enthusiastic 
work  attracted  the  attention  of  Jacob  Bigelow,  of  Boston,  that  versatile  phy- 
sician and  educator,  and,  through  Bigelow’s  influence,  secured  for  him  the 
position  of  Curator  of  the  Botanical  Gardens  at  Cambridge.  Locke  had  an 
independent  ruind  and  in  religious  matters  was  what  we  moderns  with 
negative  affirmation,  but  positive  significance  would  call  an  agnostic.  This, 
figuratively  speaking,  broke  his  neck.  If  he  had  possessed  more  of  what  we 
moderns  call  diplomacy,  i.  e.,  an  adaptability,  made  up  of  hypocrisy  and  moral 
cowardice,  there  would  have  been  no  trouble.  But  since  the  possession  of  a 


155 


frank  and  outspoken  individuality  was  by  some  accounted  as  much  of  a crime 
in  the  early  days  of  the  nineteenth  century  as  it  is  today  and  has  been,  I 
presume,  since  and  before  the  times  of  Socrates,  young  Locke  soon  found 
himself  out  of  a position,  with  all  the  exacting  necessities  of  life  staring  him 
in  the  face.  He  wanted  to  see  the  world  and  to  study  botany  in  foreign 
lands.  He  succeeded  in  getting  an  appointment  in  the  navy  as  a surgeon’s 
mate  and  realized  his  desires  to  visit  foreign  shores.  A West  India  tornado 
cooled  his  ardor  somewhat.  He  was  glad  to  be  permitted  to  resign,  and 
returned  to  New  Haven  where  he  attended  medical  lectures  and  received 
his  degree  in  medicine.  In  1819  he  published  a Manual  of  Botany  for  which 
he  engraved  the  illustrations  with  his  own  hands.  The  book  established  his 
reputation  as  a naturalist.  In  this  book  he  called  attention  to  the  value  of  the 
river  maple  as  a shade  and  ornamental  tree  and  as  a substitute  for  the  sugar 
maple  in  the  production  of  sugar.  This  was  fifty  years  before  the  same 
question  was  considered  by  the  botanical  experts  of  the  Government. 

Locke’s  Botanical  Press,  originated  in  those  early  days,  attracted  general 
attention.  In  Silliman’s  Journal,  the  leading  scientific  publication  of  the  day, 
it  is  thus  described : “Although  this  press  is  so  portable  as  to  be  packed  in  a 
common  traveling  trunk,  it  will  exert  a force,  by  the  application  of  one  hand, 
of  half  a ton.  When  neatly  made  of  mahogany,  and  polished,  it  is  not  un- 
sightly in  the  parlor ; and  the  pressure  being  applied  to  the  pile  of  papers 
containing  the  specimens,  the  click  holding  the  last  force,  the  lever  may  be 
removed,  and  it  may  be  set  on  one  end  at  the  side  of  the  room,  scarcely  in- 
commoding any  other  operations.  It  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  purposes  of 
the  traveling  botanist.  It  is  capable  of  being  applied  to  other  uses  than  those 
of  pressing  plants  for  an  herbarium.  On  a large  scale  it  would  be  an  excellent 
cheese  press,  and  it  has  already  been  adopted  for  some  parts  of  bookbinders’ 
operations.  Printers  will  find  it  convenient  to  apply  to  their  paper  in  wetting 
it  down.” 

An  unsuccessful  attempt  to  practice  medicine  and  thus  gain  a livelihood 
prompted  him  to  accept  a position  in  a female  academy  in  Windsor,  Vt. 
When  the  superintendent  of  the  academy  shortly  afterwards  resigned  and 
assumed  charge  of  a similar  institution  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  Locke  agreed  to 
go  with  him.  He  began  his  work  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1821  and  soon  evinced 
his  superior  talents  as  a teacher.  In  1822  Locke  had  occasion  to  visit  Cin- 
cinnati, making  the  trip  from  Lexington  on  horseback.  “As  he  emerged 
from  the  woods  of  Kentucky,  and  rose  over  the  hill  south  of  Newport,  the 
valley  surrounding  the  now  Queen  City  opened  to  his  admiring  view.  On 
approaching  the  city  the  rattling  of  drays,  the  clink  of  hammers,  the  smoke 
of  factories,  the  rush  of  steamboats,  the  firing  of  signals  of  arrivals  and  de- 
partures, acted  upon  his  mind  with  all  the  force  of  enchantment.  He  fell  in 
love  with  the  Queen  City  and  decided  to  make  his  home  here.”  Ethan  Stone, 
that  remarkable  pioneer  and  philanthropist,  took  an  interest  in  the  young 
stranger  and  aided  him  in  establishing  a non-sectarian  school  for  young  ladies 

15G 


(Dr.  Locke’s  School)  which  enjoyed  a great  reputation  for  many  years  and 
was  patronized  by  the  best  people.  The  school  was  located  on  the  east  side 
of  Walnut  Street,  between  Third  and  Fourth  Streets.  In  addition  to  his 
school  work  he  lectured  at  the  Mechanics’  Institute. 

His  connection  with  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  as  professor  of  chem- 
istry began  in  1837.  In  order  to  do  his  work  as  thoroughly  as  possible  he 
went  to  Europe,  purchased  a magnificent  equipment  and  installed  it  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  addition  to  his  own  apparatus  most  of  which  was 
his  own  handiwork.  He  likewise  brought  with  him  boundless  enthusiasm  and 
capacity  for  work. 

The  circumstances  amid  which  Locke  began  his  work  were  not  at  all  en- 
couraging. Drake  who  had  established  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  was  fighting  with  all  his  might  for  supremacy  over  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio.  He  had  a powerful  faculty  to  back  him  up.  , He  had  taken 
Samuel  D.  Gross  away  from  the  Ohio  college.  The  faculty  of  the  latter  was 
discouraged,  worn  out  from  the  perpetual  strife  in  their  own  school  and  was 
woefully  lacking  in  esprit  de  corps.  John  Eberle  and  Jedediah  Cobb  had 
practically  decided  to  leave  the  Ohio  College  and  associate  themselves  with 
Transylvania  University.  James  Conquest  Cross,  who  was  probably  the  best 
educated  member  of  the  Ohio  faculty,  was  at  loggerheads  with  everybody  in 
general  and  was  only  waiting  for  an  appointment  elsewhere.  Alban  G. 
Smith  was  not  giving  satisfaction  in  the  chair  of  surgery.  These  were  the 
disheartening  circumstances  under  which  John  Locke  entered.  He  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  and  worked  manfully  and  unceasingly  for  the  school. 
His  devotion  to  the  school  during  the  fourteen  years  of  his  incumbency  was 
almost  pathetic.  Neither  the  turbulent  times  within  the  school  itself  nor  re- 
peated tempting  offers  of  appointments  elsewhere  could  swerve  his  loyalty 
or  curb  his  confidence  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  school.  No  man  ever 
loved  the  Ohio  College  as  did  John  Locke.  He  worked  incessantly  for  its 
welfare  and  was  just  as  ready  to  repair  a defective  flue  or  roof  in  order  to 
save  the  college  expense,  as  to  acquaint  his  students  with  the  mysteries  of 
chemical  lore.  Frequently  his  friends  had  to  remove  him  from  the  building 
by  main  force.  He  was  so  devoted  to  the  school  that  he  was  loath  to  leave 
the  building  after  lecture  hours  were  over.  When  during  the  troubles  of 
1849-’50,  after  fourteen  years  of  faithful  service,  that  unaccountable  spirit 
of  malice  and  jealousy  that  had  been  the  curse  of  the  Ohio  College  through- 
out the  greater  part  of  its  life  history,  picked  out  John  Locke  as  a victim,’ 
forcibly  removing  him  from  the  chair  he  had  so  long  adorned,  the  result  was 
heart-breaking.  It  was  a stunning  blow  to  the  old  faithful  servant.  His 
grief  was  pitiable  to  behold.  With  tears  streaming  down  his  furrowed  cheeks 
he  spoke  of  the  college  as  a doting  father  would  of  his  wayward  child.  It 
was  the  story  of  Belisarius  re-enacted.  John  Locke’s  heart  was  broken. 
Even  his  subsequent  rehabilitation  as  professor  of  chemistry  did  not  undo 
the  damage  wrought  by  that  terrible  experience.  Two  years  more  he  gave 

157 


the  college,  but  he  was  not  the  John  Locke  of  old.  The  sorrow  of  a great 
and  noble  soul  surely  is  the  saddest  thing  in  all  the  world.  The  triumph  of 
moral  and  mental  inferiority  is  one  of  those  periodic  acts  of  providential 
injustice  for  which  there  seems  to  be  no  reasonable  explanation. 

To  tone  up  his  broken  spirits  Locke  moved  to  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  he 
managed  a preparatory  school  for  eighteen  months.  He  traveled  in  the 
South  and  along  the  Atlantic  Coast.  It  was  all  in  vain.  On  the  10th  of 
July,  1856,  when  John  Locke  was  sixty-four  years  of  age,  the  angel  of  death 
spread  his  wings  over  his  wasted  form  and  the  gentle  soul  took  its  flight. 
Seldom  was  there  more  genuine  sorrow  shown  at  the  demise  of  a distin- 
guished member  of  the  profession  than  when  John  Locke  passed  to  the  great 
beyond.  At  the  memorial  meeting  of  the  local  profession  Prof.  H.  E.  Foote, 
of  the  Miami  Medical  College,  who  had  been  Locke’s  favorite  pupil,  delivered 
the  eulogy. 

John  Locke’s  work  as  a scientist  is  a matter  of  history.  His  geological 
investigations  of  large  portions  of  our  country,  especially  Ohio,  have  lost 
none  of  their  value  although  many  years  have  elapsed  since  they  were  made 
(1838).  He  found  the  largest  trilobite  on  record,  twenty  inches  long  and 
twelve  wide.  His  epoch-making  studies  of  galvanism  and  terrestrial  mag- 
netism he  followed  up  with  the  invention  of  the  microscopic  compass  to  which 
he  refers  in  the  following  manner  in  Yol.  XXIII.  of  the  ‘‘Am.  Journal  of 
Sciences” : 

“I  do  not  propose  this  as  a substitute  for  the  surveyor’s  compass ; but  merely  as  an 
instrument  exactly  suited  to  amateurs,  and  scientific  travelers,  to  whom  it  is  inconve- 
nient or  unpleasant  to  carry  a backload  of  machinery  to  take  the  bearing  of  an  object. 
I have,  for  several  years,  been  carrying  on  a trigonometrical  survey  of  the  beautiful 
valley  of  Cincinnati,  in  which  I reside.  This  I have  done  for  the  recreation,  both 
physical  and  intellectual,  which  it  affords.  It  invites  me  to  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
and  is  the  best  antidyspeptic  I have  tried.  I have  managed  the  several  points  of  the 
valley  very  much  to  my  satisfaction  with  the  sextant ; but  nothing  answers  so  well  for 
‘meandering’  the  ravines,  rivulets,  and  ridges  of  the  hills,  as  the  microscopic  compass. 
I take  the  angles  with  equal  accuracy  with  the  surveyors,  and  with  ten  times  the  con- 
venience.” 

Soon  after  he  had  commenced  his  investigations  in  electricity  and  its 
associate  subjects,  depending  for  results  mainly  upon  his  own  tact  and  re- 
sources, he  was  informed  by  Mr.  Wells,  of  this  city,  that  he  had  seen  a 
magnet,  of  great  superiority,  made  by  a rude  unlettered  blacksmith.  The 
latter  offered  to  communicate  with  Dr.  Locke  the  method,  by  which  he  im- 
parted to  magnets  such  immense  power,  for  the  sum  of  twenty-five  dollars. 
An  agreement  was  entered  into  between  them,  but  the  blacksmith  was  dilatory 
and  neglectful  of  his  appointments.  At  length  a scientific  London  journal 
was  received  by  Air.  Wells,  describing  the  manner  in  which  the  force  of  the 
magnet  was  increased  by  electricity.  This  journal  was  carried  by  Air.  Wells 
straightway  to  Dr.  Locke,  who  became  almost  wild  with  excitement,  and 
together  they  wrought  out,  and  experimented  with  a magnet,  hour  after  hour. 


158 


during  the  night,  and  until  day  dawned.  This  led,  step  after  step,  to  inven- 
tions and  discoveries  until  he  brought  forth  the  improved  galvanometer. 

Other  inventions  must  be  passed  by,  for  a brief  consideration  of  his  great 
achievement,  his  crowning  glory : the  ‘‘Electro-Chronograph,”  or  “Magnetic 
Clock.”  Some  of  the  facts  of  this  invention  may  be  given  in  Dr.  Locke’s 
• own  language.  He  says  : 

“My  attention  was  first  drawn  practically  to  the  subject  of  the  combination  of  clock 
and  electrical  machinery,  for  procuring  useful  results,  in  1844.  I was  delivering  a 
course  of  popular  lectures  in  Cincinnati  on  Electrology.  My  object  was,  not  so  much 
to  reduce  anything  to  a complete  system  in  actual  practice,  as  to  show  the  essential 
elements  of  what  was  actually  practicable.  Having  commenced  and  continued  my 
studies  of  electrology,  under  what  was  called  ‘disadvantageous  circumstances,’  viz., 
without  the  usual  aid  of  instruments  or  instrument-makers,  I was  under  the  necessity 
of  devising  and  making  my  own  apparatus.  Under  these  circumstances,  I had  accum- 
ulated in  the  shoproom,  contiguous  to  my  laboratory,  a very  efficient  and  perfect  set 
of  tools,  among  which  are  the  lathe  and  other  shop  tools  made  by  the  distinguished 
sculptor,  Hiram  Powers,  and  used  by  him  while  he  occupied  himself  as  a mechanic  in 
Cincinnati.  Whenever  a new  principle  was  announced,  I found  it  better  to  devise  and 
make  the  apparatus  suited  to  its  illustration,  than  to  purchase  the  stereotyped  models, 
imperfectly  planned,  and  worse  manufactured.  Thus  avoiding  all  servile  copying,  and 
venturing  almost  to  avoid  the  trodden  path  pointed  out  by  books,  we  drank  as  much 
as  possible  from  the  fountain  itself,  by  appealing  directly  to  Nature.  This  course  gave  a 
freshness  to  popular  instruction  which  evidently  excited  an  interest,  and  produced  an 
effect  proportionate  to  the  intense  toil  which  the  prosecution  demanded.” 

Lieut.  Chas.  Maury’s  letter,  announcing  officially  Dr.  Locke’s  invention 
to  the  Hon.  John  Y.  Mason,  secretary  of  the  navy,  from  the  National  Intel- 
ligencer of  June  8,  1849,  and  dated  National  Observatory,  Washington,  Jan- 
uary 5,  1849,  reads  thus : 

“I  have  the  honor  of  making  known  to  you  a most  important  discovery  for  as- 
tronomy, which  has  been  made  by  Dr.  Locke,  of  Ohio,  and  asking  authority  from  you 
to  avail  myself  of  it,  for  the  use  and  purposes  of  this  observatory.  The  discovery 
consists  in  the  invention  of  a magnetic  clock  by  means  of  which  seconds  of  time  may 
be  divided  into  hundredths  with  as  much  accuracy  and  precision  as  the  machinist,  with 
rule  and  compass,  can  subdivide  an  inch  of  space.  Nor  do  its  powers  end  here.  They 
are  such  that  the  astronomer  in  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis,  Boston  and  any  other  place 
to  which  the  magnetic  telegraph  reaches,  may  make  his  observations,  and  at  the  same 
moment  cause  this  clock,  here  at  Washington,  to  record  the  instant  with  wonderful 
precision.  Thus,  the  astronomer  in  Boston  observes  the  transit  of  a star,  as  it  flits 
through  the  field  of  his  instrument,  and  crosses  the  meridian  at  that  place.  Instead 
of  looking  at  a clock  before  him,  and  noting  the  time  in  the  usual  way,  he  touches  a 
key,  and  the  clock  here  subdivides  his  seconds  to  the  minutest  fraction,  and  records  the 
time  with  unerring  accuracy.  The  astronomer  in  Washington  waits  for  the  same  star 
to  cross  his  meridian,  and,  as  it  does.  Dr.  Locke’s  magnetic  clock  is  again  touched;  it 
divides  the  seconds,  and  records  the  time  for  him  with  equal  precision.  The  difference 
between  these  two  times  is  the  longitude  of  Boston  from  the  meridian  of  Washington. 
The  astronomer  in  New  Orleans,  and  St.  Louis,  and  every  other  place  within  the  reach 
of  the  magnetic  wires,  may  wait  for  the  same  star,  and  as  it  comes  to  their  meridian, 
they  have  but  to  touch  the  key,  and  straightway  this  central  magnetic  clock  tells  their 
longitude.  And  thus  this  problem,  which  has  vexed  astronomers  and  navigators,  and 

159 


perplexed  the  world  for  ages,  is  reduced  at  once,  by  American  ingenuity,  to  a form 
and  method  the  most  simple  and  accurate.  While  the  process  is  simplified,  the  results 
are  greatly  refined.  In  one  night  the  longitude  may  now  be  determined  with  far  more 
accuracy  by  means  of  a magnetic  telegraph  or  clock  than  it  can  by  years  of  observation 
according  to  any  other  method  that  has  ever  been  tried.  It  is,  therefore,  well  entitled 
to  be  called  a most  important  discovery.  It  is  a national  triumph  and  it  belongs  to- 
that  class  of  achievements  by  which  the  most  beautiful  and  enduring  monuments  are 
erected  to  national  honor  and  greatness.” 

The  English  Government,  in  appreciation  of  Locke’s  labors,  presented  him 
with  a full  set  of  magnetical  instruments.  The  electrically  regulated  clocks 
which  are  in  general  use  today  were  evolved  from  John  Locke’s  invention. 
The  “Thermo-electrometer,”  another  of  Locke’s  inventions,  is  described  by 
him  in  the  “Western  Journal  of  Practical  Medicine,”  Vol.  L,  No.  1,  1837. 

Dr.  M.  B.  Wright  gives  us  some  idea  as  to  Locke’s  universality.  He 
says : 

“If  a mind,  that  can  fathom  and  comprehend  deep  and  abstruse  things;  if  genius, 
that  can  originate,  and  skill,  that  can  execute ; if  will  to  labor  and  patience  to  endure, 
constitute  greatness.  Doctor  Locke  was,  truly,  a great  man.  He  had  the  inspiration 
and  language  of  a true  poet;  he  understood  music  as  a science;  he  could  sketch  the 
landscape  with  the  accuracy  of  a practiced  artist;  he  was  a mechanic,  a mathematician, 
an  astronomer,  a chemist,  a philosopher,  a logician,  a physician.  He  had  studied  all 
things  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  had  penetrated  into  its  hidden  depths,  and  had  formed 
an  intimate,  every-day  acquaintance  with  the  beauty  and  glory  that  surround  it.” 

A noteworthy  incident  in  Dr.  Locke’s  career  was  the  part  he  took  in 
examining  into  the  causes  that  led  to  the  explosion  of  the  steamship  “Moselle” 
on  the  Ohio  River,  April  26,  1838.  The  explosion  cost  the  lives  of  nearly 
fifty  persons,  and  wrought  the  community  up  to  a high  pitch  of  excitement 
and  indignation.  Dr.  Locke’s  report  was  exhaustive  and  to  the  point,  and 
chagrined  those  who  were  commercially  interested  in  steam  navigation.  They 
even  attempted  to  suppress  the  report,  but  were  thwarted  in  their  designs  by 
Locke’s  manly  and  independent  stand.  The  report  emphatically  called  for 
an  adequate  federal  law  pertaining  to  the  inspection  of  steam  vessels  and 
to  the  proper  training  of  engineers.  It  is  of  interest  to  know  that  John 
Locke  surveyed  Spring  Grove  or  rather  the  tract  of  land  where  Spring  Grove 
was  subsequently  laid  out. 

Locke  was  an  odd  genius.  He  had  the  accurate  and  calculating  mind  of 
the  physicist  and  at  the  same  time  the  sensitive  aesthetic  nature  of  the  poet. 
Some  of  his  poetical  productions  show  that  he  was  a master  of  poetic  form 
into  which  he  would  pour  the  tenderest,  sweetest  sentiment  of  truest  lyric 
ring.  In  describing  a visit  to  the  regions  near  Lake  Superior  Locke  says : 

“I  took  lodgings  with  the  missionaries,  and  never  did  I see  the  Christian  religion 
appear  more  lovely  than  in  this  sequestered  spot,  where  sectarianism  dies  a natural 
death,  and  the  Christians  almost,  or  quite  forget  to  which  denomination  they  belong, 
further  than  that  they  are  Christians ; and  where,  beside  the  poor  pagan  idolatry,  or 
fanatical  feats  of  the  Aborigines,  Christianity  stands  strongly  contrasted,  in  simple, 
unaffected,  graceful,  benevolent  majesty.” 

IfiO 


“From  the  slight  sketches  I was  able  to  obtain  from  the  missionaries  and  Indians,  I 
came  to  the  conclusion,  that  their  traditionary  and  religious  opinions,  which  are  entirely 
blended  with  their  ideas  of  medicine  and  necromancy,  had  no  settled  form,  but  were 
the  machinery  by  which  their  artful  ones  obtained  an  ascendancy  over  the  more  simple 
and  credulous,  and  that  it  admitted  every  latitude  of  variation  which  suited  that  pur- 
pose.” 

To  escape  the  dangers  of  a fearful  storm,  the  voyagers  landed,  and  turned 
their  canoe  bottom  upward,  as  a shelter.  Locke  continues : 

“We  found  ourselves  just  above  the  mouth  of  Garlic  River.  The  shore  at  this 
place  is  a level  plateau,  shaded  by  tall  Norwegian  pines,  and  carpeted  by  whortle-berries, 
arbutus  and  other  lowly  plants.  In  the  center  of  this  plain,  highly  picturesque  in 
itself,  but  rendered  enchanting  by  overlooking  the  broad,  deep,  clear  waters  of  the  great 
lake,  is  a solitary  grave,  covered  by  a monumental  log  cabin,  with  an  ample  cedar  cross 
overgrown  with  long  usnea  moss,  waving  and  sighing  mournfully  in  the  breeze.  Peeping 
into  this  little  house  of  death,  I saw  the  sand  had  sunk  down  on  the  decayed  body.” 

This  simple  rude  monument  reared  by  pure  affection  he  apostrophized  in 
the  following  manner: 

“Stranger,  another  stranger  calls  to  see  thy  sacred  dwelling-place. 

Where  for  years  thou  ’st  slept  alone  in  this  sequestered  spot. 

No  unhallowed  foot  of  sauntering  idler 
Comes  to  spend  a vacant  hour 
In  fashionable,  fantastic  cemetery; 

But  a heart-thrilled  stranger, 

Persecuted  by  Superior’s  relentless  waves. 

Is  cast  by  Fate,  upon  the  sand-chafed  shore, 

And  with  holy  breast,  and  tearful  eye. 

Leans  o’er  thy  rude  built  monument, 

And  by  the  ills  of  life,  as  by  Superior’s  wave. 

Would  fain  lie  down  beside  thee. 

To  share  this  envied  place. 

Thy  comrades  laid  thee  gently  in  the  sand, 

Reared  up  this  cabin-monument. 

And  o’er  thy  lowly  head  have  placed 
This  ample  cedar  cross,  on  which 
The  tangled  moss  has  grown,  to  mark 
The  unlettered  time. 

The  Spring  fir  tree  greens  around. 

And  spreads  its  balmy  fragrance ; 

The  lofty  pine  tree  bends  its  boughs. 

And  breathes  Aeolian  murmurs; 

The  river  glides  its  winy  waters ; 

The  lake  sends  up  its  billowy  cry. 

And  here,  amid  God’s  holy  temple. 

Which  He  himself  has  made. 

The  stranger  kneels,  and  breathes  a prayer, 

That  both  our  souls  may  rest  in  Heaven, 

Sleep  on,  I leave  thee  now,  but  soon 
Must  sleep  in  earth  more  rudely  trod. 

Like  thine,  my  breast  too  must,yield 
To  earthly  pressure,  and  the  sand. 


161 


The  cold,  sharp  sand,  must  fill  the  chest 
Where,  now  so  long,  the  lungs  have  heaved. 

And  heart  has  throbbed,  and  ached. 

And  throbbed  and  ached  again.” 

John  Locke,  a giant  in  intellect,  was  a child  at  heart,  tender,  naive,  lovable, 
sincere,  and  full  of  youthful  enthusiasm.  He  loved  the  flowers  of  the  heather, 
the  trees  on  the  hillside,  the  birds  of  the  forest  and  the  eternally  beautiful 
scenes  sketched  by  a divine  masterhand  on  the  canopy  of  heaven,  in  soft  tints 
or  in  colors  gay.  He  roamed  through  the  fields  and  the  woodland  with 
beaming  countenance  and  throbbing  heart.  Often  he  sat  on  the  roof  of  his 
house,  gazing  at  the  stars  or  listening  to  the  sublime  language  of  the  night 
spoken  and  chanted  by  choirs  invisible  amid  the  myriads  of  orbs  above.  John 
Locke  loved  nature  because  he  was  a child  of  nature.  He  was  full  of  the 
milk  of  human  kindness  because  he  had  been  nursed  at  the  breasts  of  Nature. 
Nature  is,  after  all,  the  fountain-head  of  all  beauty  and  all  goodness,  and 
there  never  was  a true  child  of  Nature  that  was  not  beautiful  and  good.  If 
simplicity  of  heart  is  coupled  with  great  power  of  intellect,  it  represents  per- 
fect and  complete  humanity.  It  is  the  type  that  was  embodied  in  the  life  of 
John  Locke. 

REUBEN  DIMOND  MUSSEY,  sometimes  referred  to  as  the  '"elder” 
Mtissey,  was  the  first  bearer  of  a name  which  has  been  honorably  identified  with 
the  medical  life  of  Cincinnati  for  three-quarters  of  a century.  He  was  the  son 
of  Dr.  John  Mussey,  of  Pelham  Township,  Rockingham  County,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  young  Reuben  was  born  June  23,  1780.  Dr.  John  Mussey  was  a 
poor  country  doctor  who  tried  to  give  his  son  the  educational  advantages 
which  he  himself  had  but  sparingly  enjoyed.  When  Reuben  was  eleven  years 
of  age,  his  father  moved  to  Amherst,  N.  H.  At  the  district  school  of  Am- 
herst Reuben  received  his  first  instruction  in  grammar  and  arithmetic.  Later 
on  he  took  up  Latin  under  the  tutorship  of  his  father.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  was  a student  at  Aurean  Academy,  a classical  school  at  Amherst.  He 
studied  hard  and,  in  order  to  lighten  his  father’s  burden,  worked  for  weeks 
on  farms  or  taught  school  in  the  neighboring  villages.  He  saved  up  a little 
money,  and,  having  made  a good  deal  of  progress  in  his  studies,  he  presented 
himself  at  Dartmouth  for  examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  junior  class. 
He  was  at  that  time  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  a faithful  student  and 
hard  worker,  always  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and  recruiting  his  finances  by 
coaching  some  of  the  younger  students  at  the  college.  He  graduated  in  1803 
and  took  up  the  study  of  medicine.  His  first  preceptor  was  Dr.  Nathan 
Smith  (born  at  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  1762,  established  the  Medical  Department 
of  Dartmouth  College,  became  its  first  professor  of  practice,  taught  later  on 
at  Yale  College,  Vermont  University  and  Brunswick  College,  died  1828), 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  American  physicians  of  his  time. 


162 


The  “preceptor”  in  those  days  took  the  place  of  the  medical  college,  the 
student  serving  a regular  apprenticeship  in  medicine.  With  very  few  excep- 
tions all  the  medical  men  of  the  States,  East,  Middle  West  and  South,  had  ac- 
quired their  professional  knowledge  through  just  such  a system  of  apprentice- 
ship, to  quote  from  Dr.  P.  S.  Conner’s  Historical  Address  delivered  at  the 
Centennial  of  Dartmouth  Medical  College,  June  29,  1897 : 

“The  doctor  of  established  position  had  his  students;  they  lived  in  his  house, 
relieved  him  of  much  of  his  work,  sometimes  professional,  sometimes  menial,  profited  as 
far  as  thej'^  might,  from  his  instruction  and  his  example,  and  in  due  time  were  sent  out 
(with  or  without  certificate)  to  cure  or  otherwise,  as  the  case  might  be.  Students  ‘had 
the  use  of  the  library  of  their  master  whose  shelves,  if  not  abundantly  supplied,  generally 
held  a few  books  and  whose  house  usually  contained  in  some  closet  or  nook  a feW 
bones  of  the  human  frame  or  perhaps  an  entire  skeleton.  These  the  student  handled, 
examined  and  studied.  His  opportunities  for  clinical  study  consisted  in  witnessing  and 
often  assisting  in  the  office  practice  of  his  master.  There  he  pulled  his  first  tooth, 
opened  his  first  abscess,  performed  his  first  venesection,  applied  his  first  blister,  admin- 
istered his  first  emetic,  and  there  learned  the  various  manipulations  of  minor  surgery 
and  medicine.  After  a time  his  clinical  opportunities  were  enlarged  by  visiting  with 
his  teacher  the  patients  of  the  latter  and  becoming  acquainted,  not  in  hospitals,  but  in 
private  houses  with  the  protean  phases  of  disease.  His  clinical  lectures  were  his  master’s 
talk  on  the  cases  they  had  visited,  as  they  rode  from  house  to  house.  After  three  years 
spent  in  this  sort  of  study  and  practice  the  young  man  was  supposed  to  have  acquired 
enough  medical  knowledge  to  enable  him  to  commence  the  practice  of  his  profession.’ 
(Prof.  Edward  H.  Clarke,  of  Harvard  Medical  School.)  As  the  result  of  this  neces- 
sarily varying  and  largely  imperfect  training  the  majority  of  medical  men  in  our 

country  a century  ago  were  unlearned,  untrained  and  unskillful.  Exceptions  there 

were ; and  here  and  there  was  to  be  found  a man  of  marvelous  perception,  of  extra- 
ordinary adaptability,  of  wonderful  knowledge  if  not  of  books,  of  cases,  ready  for  any 
emergency,  able  to  decide  upon  a proper  remedy  and  to  compound  and  dispense  it, 
knowing  when  to  operate  and  how ; and  a pupilage  under  such  a teacher  was  at  once 
an  education  and  an  inspiration.” 

This  was  the  kind  of  apprenticeship  young  Mussey  served  under  Dr. 
Nathan  Smith  for  one  year.  The  following  year  he  taught  school  at  Peter- 
borough, N.  H.,  in  order  to  save  up  enough  money  for  the  coming  Winter’s 
medical  course.  While  at  Peterborough  he  did  not,  however,  interrupt  his 
medical  studies.  He  read  under  the  tutelage  of  another  very  eminent  physi- 
cian, Dr.  Luke  Howe  (born  at  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  1777,  became  well  known 
through  many  useful  mechanical  devices  which  he  invented,  died  1841). 
Mussey  returned  to  Dr.  Nathan  Smith  and  in  1805  took  his  degree  of  Bach- 
elor in  Medicine  at  the  Medical  Department  of  Dartrnouth  College,  present- 

ing and  defending  a baccalaureate  thesis  on  “Dysentery.”  Being  without  means, 
he  was  compelled  to  make  an  attempt  at  earning  some  money.  He  located 
at  Essex,  Mass.,  and  after  three  years  of  general  practice  had  saved  enough 
to  enable  him  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  finish  his  medical  education.  Dr. 
Benjamin  S.  Barton,  the  distinguished  botanist,  chemist  and  pharmacologist, 
became  his  preceptor.  The  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  those  days  was 
the  Mecca  of  medical  students  from  all  parts  of  the  American  continent./ 
Benjamin  Rush,  the  most  famous  American  physician  of  his  time;  Caspar 


163 


Wistar,  the  Nestor  of  American  anatomists;  Philip  Physick,  the  father  of 
American  surgery;  Nathaniel  Chapman,  the  most  polished  medical  litterateur 
of  his  day ; Thomas  C.  James,  the  first  American  lecturer  on  midwifery, 
these  were  the  men  who  attracted  students  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Under  these  men  Mussey  finished  his  medical  course,  receiving  his  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1809. 

As  a mere  fledgling  in  medicine  Mussey  attracted  considerable  attention 
by  taking  issue  with  Benjamin  Rush  who  taught  that  the  skin  was  non- 
absorptive.  Mussey  experimented  in  various  ways  to  prove  that  the  skin 
does  absorb.  He  immersed  himself  in  a bath  containing  three  pounds  of 
madder  and  sufficient  water  to  cover  the  entire  body.  For  days  following 
the  urine  showed  the  presence  of  madder.  He  also  proved  that  rhubarb 
can  be  absorbed  by  and  through  the  skin.  These  experiments  furnished  the 
subject  for  his  inaugural  thesis.  They  required  much  patience  and  perse- 
verance, two  predominant  traits  of  Mussey’s  character.  Even  as  a student 
he  evinced  the  traits  that  were  characteristic  of  him  in  after  life.  He  was 
not  brilliant  or  possessed  of  a powerful  intellectuality.  He  achieved  his 
success  by  hard  work,  faithful  devotion  to  duty  and  ceaseless  effort.  He 
was  a plodder  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word.  It  must  not  be  inferred,  how- 
ever, that  he  lacked  the  enthusiasm  of  the  true  scientist.  He  was,  on  the 
contrary,  an  enthusiastic  worker,  in  whose  mind  the  success  of  the  work 
itself  was  uppermost.  The  experiments  he  made  on  his  own  body  prove 
conclusively  that  his  altruistic  love  of  scientific  research  displaced  all  con- 
siderations of  personal  comfort  or  safety.  He  went  so  far  as  to  immerse 
his  body  in  a strong  solution  of  nutgall,  and,  subsequently,  in  sulphate  of 
iron  to  find  out  whether  he  could  not  pass  ink  instead  of  urine.  This  experi- 
ment nearly  proved  disastrous.  Mussey  took  very  sick  and  decided  not  to 
repeat  his  attempt  to  make  an  ink-well  out  of  his  body. 

Mussey’s  work  along  this  line  attracted  considerable  attention  among 
the  professors  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  devoted  a great  deal 
of  time  and  labor  to  research  work  of  this  kind.  The  function  of  the  skin 
interested  him  very  much.  In  1821  he  made  his  famous  experiment  of 
silver-coating  a gold-piece  which  had  been  laid  on  the  skin  of  a patient  who 
had  taken  mercury.  This  led  him,  step  by  step,  to  investigate  the  cataphoric 
action  of  galvanism.  He  introduced  iodine  cataphorically  and  extracted  it 
from  the  body  in  a similar  manner.  Considering  that  these  experiments  were 
original  with  him  and  were  in  no  sense  of  the  word  imitations  of  the  labors 
of  other  men,  that,  in  fact,  nothing  along  this  line  was  known  in  his  day,  we 
must  look  upon  his  work  as  a scientific  achievement  of  great  merit. 

After  graduation  Mussey  located  in  Salem,  Mass.,  and  had  the  good  for- 
tune of  becoming  associated  with  Dr.  Daniel  Oliver,  afterwards  a teacher 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  a brilliant  and  wonderfully  versatile  man. 
Mussey  and  Oliver  built  up  an  immense  practice  and  yet  found  ample  time 
for  scientific  work.  Mussey  acquired  a considerable  reputation  as  a surgeon, 

164 


particularly  in  operations  on  the  eye.  He  was  also  a chemist  of  some  ability. 
In  Salem  he  and  his  associate  Oliver  gave  regular  courses  of  lectures  on 
chemistry.  He  remained  in  Salem  five  years.  In  his  after  life  he  proudly 
referred  to  his  success  as  an  obstetrician  while  practicing  in  Salem,  often 
attending  twenty  and  more  cases  a month.  The  tendency  of  those  days  was 
in  the  direction  of  a liberal  education  in  all  branches  of  medicine  and  surgery. 
In  this  way  great  specialists  were  grown  on  healthy  soil.  That  the  specialism 
of  today  is  inimical  to  the  educational  as  well  as  the  economic  interests  of  the 
profession,  can  hardly  be  denied.  It  impairs  the  powers  of  mental  vision  and 
narrows  the  mental  horizon.  The  specialism  of  today  which  is  trying  to 
emancipate  itself  from  medical  science  in  the  broad  and  necessary  sense, 
develops  mechanical  skill  but  cripples  the  medical  mind.  It  evolves  crafts- 
men, but  not  physicians. 

In  1814  Mussey  left  Salem  to  become  a teacher  of  medicine  at  Dartmouth. 
He  taught  the  theory  and  practice  of  medicine  together  with  materia  medica 
and  midwifery.  In  1817  he  delivered  a course  of  lectures  on  chemistry  at 
Middlebury,  Vt.  In  1822  he  was  made  professor  of  surgery  at  Dartmouth. 
Of  his  work  as  a teacher  of  surgery  at  Dartmouth  Dr.  P.  S.  Conner  who 
was  among  Mussey’s  successors  in  the  chair  of  surgery,  both  at  Dartmouth 
and  also  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  says  that  “but  few  men  in  our 
country  impressed  students  and  practitioners  as  did  Dr.  Mussey.  Of 
untiring  energy,  a diligent  student,  a careful  investigator,  a bold  operator,  a 
strong  teacher,  stern,  uncompromising,  he  was  professionally  and  morally 
a power  in  those  days.” 

In  1829  he  went  to  Europe  and  spent  ten  months  in  Paris  and  London. 
He  visited  the  hospitals  and  clinics  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  many  men 
of  note  particularly  Sir  Astley  Cooper,  then  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame  as  a 
surgeon.  In  1831  Mussey  added  to  his  duties  at  Dartmouth  those  of  the 
chair  of  anatomy  and  surgery  at  Bowdoin  College  where  the  term  started 
shortly  after  the  session  at  Dartmouth  had  closed.  In  1836  and  1837  he 
delivered  lectures  on  surgery  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
located  at  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  then  a flourishing  insti- 
tution, but  now  extinct.  About  that  time  Mussey  was  thinking  of  moving 
to  some  large  town  in  the  West,  principally  on  account  of  his  health  which 
had  been  failing.  He  had  some  correspondence  with  Professor  Stowe,  of 
Cincinnati,  known  to  posterity  as  the  husband  of  Harriett  Beecher  Stowe. 
Professor  Stowe  knew  Daniel  Drake  and  acquainted  the  latter  with  Mus- 
sey s desire  to  locate  in  the  West.  Drake  had  known  Mussey  for  some 
time,  in  fact  had  urged  the  trustees  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  four 
years  previously  to  appoint  Mussey  to  the  chair  of  surgery.  This  was  at  a 
time  when  Drake  was  not  connected  with  the  college,  but  merely  as  a private 
citizen  interested  in  its  welfare.  The  board  at  that  time  did  not  appoint 
Mussey,  but  preferred  Dr.  Alban  G.  Smith  whom  Drake  despised. 

165 


In  1837  Drake  was  conducting  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincin- 
nati College.  He  had  surrounded  himself  with  a small  but  powerful  faculty, 
and  missed  no  opportunity  to  antagonize  and  embarrass  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio.  When  Professor  Stowe  told  him  about  Mussey’s  intentions,  he 
wrote  a long,  confidential  letter  to  Mussey.  The  writing  of  this  letter, 

prompted  by  Drake’s  impulsive  and  ever-alert  temperament,  was  a serious 

tactical  error.  Whether  Mussey  intentionally  betrayed  Drake’s  confidence  or 
whether  some  shrewd  third  person  used  Mussey  as  a weapon  against  Drake, 
has  never  been  determined.  The  letter,  in  some  way  or  other,  got  into  the 
hands  of  Drake’s  enemies  and  was  published  in  the  “Cincinnati  Advertiser 
and  Western  Journal.”  The  people  of  Cincinnati  took  a lively  interest  in 
medical  affairs  in  those  days.  Drake  had  a large  following,  but  also  many 
influential  enemies.  The  Legislature  of  the  State  was  besieged  by  both  fac- 
tions, mainly  with  reference  to  the  professional  advantages  of  the  Commer- 
cial Hospital  which  were  possessed  by  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  but  were 
coveted  by  Drake  on  behalf  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati 

College.  At  this  juncture  Drake’s  ill-advised  letter  to  Mussey  was  pub- 

lished by  Drake’s  enemies.  This  was  an  awful  blow  to  Drake.  If  Mussey 
permitted  the  publication  by  the  Ohio  College  contingent,  it  was  an  unpar- 
donable breach  of  confidence.  Drake’s  letter  throws  a peculiar  light  on  the 
situation  in  those  days  and  reveals  the  scheming  and  planning  which  Drake 
had  resorted  to  in  his  attempts  to  destroy  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The 
letter  reads  as  follows: 

Cincinnati,  August  15,  1837. 

Dear  Sir — Our  common  friend,  Professor  Stowe,  has  lately  made  several  inquiries 
of  me,  at  your  request,  concerning  the  probable  stability  of  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  Cincinnati  College ; and  both  from  him  and  others,  I learn  that  you  have  been 
solicited  to  allow  your  name  to  be  placed  before  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  for  the  chair  of  surgery. 

Three  or  four  years  ago,  when  I belonged  to  no  institution,  but  felt  an  interest  in 
the  respectability  and  success  of  the  latter,  I urged  your  election  into  it ; but  the  board 
preferred  Doctor  Smith.  Two  years  afterwards  they  undertook  to  reorganize  the  school, 
and  offered  to  restore  me  to  it ; but  some  of  the  materials  were  too  bad ; and,  in  con- 
junction with  several  other  gentlemen,  I took  an  appointment  from  the  Cincinnati 
College. 

I had  belonged  to  the  other  institution  from  1818  to  1822,  was  expelled  from  it, 
and  it  fell  into  incompetent  hands.  My  object  in  wishing  to  see  you  in  it,  was,  in 
part,  to  prepare  the  way  for  my  own  return.  When  I became  hopeless  of  a reunion 
with  it,  I felt  myself  at  liberty  to  co-operate  in  the  formation  of  another  school,  for  I 
was  the  first  to  commence  medical  education  in  this  city,  and  had,  as  we  say  in  the 
West,  a preemption  right.  Thus,  I am  now  but  prosecuting  the  object  begun  in  1818. 
My  six  colleagues  are  able,  ambitious  and  resolute  men,  and  we  are  bound  to  each 
other  and  to  the  object,  by  many  ties,  as  a natural  fraternity,  an  earnest  esprit  de 
corps,  a reciprocal  sentiment  of  personal  friendship,  a common  debt,  a joint  interest  in 
the  edifice,  library,  apparatus,  anatomical  museum,  hospital  and  medical  journal,  a 
solemn  covenant  against  resignations  and  the  aim  at  a common  glory.  We  have  already 
caused  three  of  the  professors  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  to  resign : Drs.  Cross, 


166 


Smith  and  Eberle,  and  a fourth,  Dr.  Moorhead,  has  notified  the  board,  that  he  will 
follow  their  example  next  Spring.  Thus,  in  fact,  it  is  reduced  to  two,  Drs.  Cobb  and 
Locke.  The  latter  is  now  in  England  in  company  with  President  Bache  of  the  Girard 
College,  and  his  friends  here,  including  Mr.  Neville,  the  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  expect  that  he  will  be  called  to  the  Philadelphia 
institution,  as  soon  as  its  president  and  he  return  from  Europe.  Doctor  Cobb,  as  you 
know,  belongs  to  the  Bowdoin  College,  where  he  has  spent  the  last  five  or  six  months; 
and  has,  within  the  last  three  days,  been  invited  to  Louisville,  which  invitation  he 
acknowledges  he  will  accept,  if  he  knew  that  Doctor  Locke  would  go  there  likewise, 
and  he  was  under  no  engagement  to  Doctor  Oliver.  From  these  various  facts,  you 
can  judge  for  yourself  which  of  the  two  Cincinnati  schools  is  most  likely  to  be  per- 
manent. My  letter  is  not  confidential,  and  you  may,  therefore,  quote  any  or  all  of  it  to 
your  friends  and  correspondents  here,  or  elsewhere,  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  your- 
self whether  I have  sought  to  exaggerate  anything.  I was  your  classmate  in  1805-’06, 
and  do  not  wish  that  you  should  become  my  rival  and  opponent,  now  that  we  are  both 
descending  into  the  vale  of  years.  At  all  events,  I am  determined  that  you  shall  not 
inadvertently  place  yourself  in  that  position.  I say  then,  in  all  frankness,  that  the  war 
between  the  two  medical  schools  of  this  city,  is  one  of  extermination.  I have  been 
treated  ill  (or  sincerely  think  so)  and  have  been  made  desperate.  I am  anxious  to  be 
preserved  from  everything  dishonorable,  in  the  prosecution  of  the  contest,  but  shall 
carry  it  on  to  a final  triumph,  or  till  I am  gathered  to  my  fathers. 

If  you  suppose,  my  dear  sir,  that  this  is  mere  grandiloquence,  come  out  here  and  I 
will  convince  you  that  it  is  not ; and  others  will  soon  show  you,  that  they  do  not 
expect  you  to  enlist  under  their  banner,  without  putting  on  the  armor  of  falsehood  and 
calumny ; the  chief  missiles  with  which  they  have  sought  to  retain  that  of  which  I was 
plundered  by  their  predecessors. 

Most  respectfully,  your  ob’t.  serv’t, 

DANIEL  DRAKE. 

The  publication  of  this  letter  made  Drake’s  position  in  Cincinnati  very 
uncomfortable  and  led  ultimately  to  the  abandonment  of  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Cincinnati  College.  Drake  realized  that  he  could  not  con- 
duct a medical  college  without  adequate  clinical  advantages  and  gave  up  the 
fight.  He  left  Cincinnati  the  following  year  to  accept  a professorship  in 
Louisville,  Ky. 

Mussey  was  appoined  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
in  the  year  1838  and  was — nolens  volens — drawn  into  the  factional  fights 
that  enlivened  the  career  of  nearly  every  man  connected  with  the  college 
during  those  turbulent  times.  For  fourteen  years  Mussey  remained  at  his 
po.st,  giving  didactic  lectures  at  the  college,  conducting  surgical  clinics  at  the 
Commercial  Hospital  and  taking  care  of  an  enormous  practice.  His  record 
at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  represents  a bright  page  in  its  history.  It 
is  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not  possess  the  firm  and  aggressive  disposition 
which  the  incumbent  of  an  important  chair  should  have  had  amid  the  endless 
troubles,  petty  jealousies,  secret  machinations  and  occasional  open  outbreaks 
of  a constantly  changing  faculty  and  a no  less  belligerent  and  meddlesome 
board  of  trustees.  Mussey  was  a hard  and  conscientious  worker,  satisfied  to 
do  his  duty  and  happy  in  the  thought  of  duty  well  done.  He  was  of  a non- 
assertive  disposition,  willing  to  follow  rather  than  lead.  He  was  not  a man 


167 


of  commanding  intellect  and  character,  such  as  the  turbulent  times  of  the 
MedicM  College  of  Ohio  in  the  forties  required.  Viewed  from  the  stand- 
point of  great  moral  influence,  Mussey  was  weak.  M.  B.  Wright  was  too 
young  and  lacked  the  tact  which  alone  makes  iconoclasm  a safe  method.  L. 
M.  Lawson  was  a fine  and  scholarly  gentleman,  but  without  much  force  of 
character.  John  L.  Vattier  who  managed  things  in  the  board  of  trustees 
after  the  fashion  of  a political  manipulator  who  wants  to  produce  results, 
caring  less  about  the  morality  than  the  utility  of  the  method  employed,  was 
under  suspicion  of  always  having  an  ax  to  grind.  This  disqualified  him  for 
the  leadership.  John  T.  Shotwell  was  the  floor-leader,  to  use  a word  bor- 
rowed from  political  parlance.  He  was  a mediocre  man  thoroughly  imbued 
with  his  own  importance  and  filled  with  an  insatiable  ambition  to  be  the  pro- 
fessor of  surgery.  Much  of  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  college  at  that 
time  was  due  to  his  underground  operations.  Mussey  was  like  a helpless 
child  in  the  hands  of  this  schemer.  When  in  1849  the  college  was  on  the 
verge  of  collapse,  having  practically  lost  its  moral  influence  among  the  pro- 
fession, Shotwell  realized  that  there  was  but  one  man  in  the  country  whose 
name  could  give  back  to  the  college  its  old  time  splendor,  and  that  this  one  man 
was  Daniel  Drake,  living  in  voluntary  exile  in  Louisville.  Drake  was  then 
sixty-five  years  of  age  and  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  distinguished  physi- 
cian in  the  West  and  South.  He  was  not  the  impulsive,  belligerent  Drake 
of  years  gone  by.  He  had  been  mellowed  by  the  gentle  hand  of  time.  The 
magic  of  his  name,  enhanced  by  the  glamour  of  an  honored  career,  was  won- 
derful. Above  all,  he  was  the  father  and  the  hectic  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  was  his  child ! Drake  had  no  surgical  ambition  and  would,  therefore, 
not  be  in  the  way ! All  these  thoughts  flitted  through  the  brain  of  the 
resourceful  Shotwell.  He  convinced  the  aging  Mussey  that  Drake  was  the 
man  to  steer  the  rudderless  ship.  Mussey  wrote  Drake  to  come  back  to  his 
own.  Drake  came. 

The  ways  of  destiny  are  wonderfully  hard  to  scrutinize.  Shotwell  died 
July  23,  1850,  leaving  Mussey  without  an  executive  hand.  Drake  did  not 
feel  at  home  in  his  new  surroundings  and  returned  to  Louisville.  Things 
had  come  to  such  a pass  in  the  affairs  of  the  college  that  pacification  of  the 
opposing  forces  was  out  of  the  question.  On  the  soil  of  discontent  and 
strife  a new  stripling  had  taken  root,  nursed  by  the  hands  of  youth  and  am- 
bition. The  Miami  Medical  College  sprang  into  existence.  The  tide  of 
secession  carried  Mussey,  a septuagenarian,  into  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the 
new  institution.  He  held  the  chair  until  1857  when  he  resigned  and  moved 
to  Boston  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  with  his  daughters.  He 
died  June  21,  1866,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Dartmouth  College,  his 
first  Alma  Mater,  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.D.  in  1854.  The 
great  regard  in  which  Mussey  was  held  by  the  profession  of  the  LFnited 
States,  found  its  practical  expression  in  1850  when  the  American  Medical 
Association,  at  its  meeting  in  Cincinnati,  elected  him  president. 


168 


Dr.  Mussey  was  the  type  of  an  upright,  conscientious  and  scrupulously 
honest  gentleman.  He  believed  in  the  righteousness  of  mankind  generally 
and  of  his  friends  specifically.  As  a man  of  science  he  was  diligent  and 
deliberate,  a hard  worker  and  a zealous  student.  What  he  lacked  in  dash 
and  brilliancy  as  a surgeon,  he  made  up  in  the  careful  working  out  of  and 
conscientious  attention  to  details.  As  an  operator  he  was  slow  and  cautious. 
There  was  no  attempt  at  display.  The  human  element  was  well  marked  in 
him.  Samuel  D.  Gross  tells  us  that  Mussey  often  prayed  for  and  with  his 
patients  in  order  to  inspire  them  with  confidence  and  secure  the  help  of  the 
Almighty.  As  a lecturer  Mussey  is  said  to  have  been  heavy  and  uninter- 
esting, but  managed  to  give  his  listeners  in  practical  information  what  his 
lectures  lacked  in  scholarly  treatment  or  brilliant  discussion  of  the  subject. 

In  the  annals  of  American  surgery  Mussey  will  always  receive  honorable 
mention.  Some  of  his  earliest  surgical  exploits  were  historical  in  importance. 
The  ligation  of  both  carotids  in  the  same  patient  for  the  cure  of  an  immense 
naevus  of  the  scalp,  also  the  removal  of  the  scapula  with  a portion  of  the 
clavicle  after  previous  amputation  at  the  shoulder- joint,  were  achievements 
of  a high  order  at  a comparatively  early  period  in  his  career.  His  discourse 
on  fracture  of  the  neck  of  the  thigh-bone  and  possibility  of  bony  union  was 
of  epoch-making  significance  and  commanded  the  respectful  attention  of  Sir 
Astley  Cooper.  Mussey  antedated  Marion  Sims  in  the  successful  surgical 
treatment  of  vesico-vaginal  fistula. 

f Mussey,  like  Daniel  Drake,  was  a lifelong  abstainer  from  alcohol  in  any 
form.  He  looked  upon  alcohol  as  the  greatest  menace  to  the  health  of  modern 
man  and  never  missed  an  opportunity  to  speak  and  write  in  the  interests  of 
abstinence.  In  his  views  on  food  he  was  far  ahead  of  his  time.  He  preached 
and  practiced  vegetarianism  persistently  and  in  this  respect  had  gained  a 
deeper  insight  into  the  vital  physiological  problems  of  health  and  the  relation 
of  certain  foods  to  certain  diseases  (e.  g.,  meat  to  cancer)  than  most  physi- 
cians possess  even  at  this  advanced  day. 

By  way  of  a befitting  conclusion  I beg  to  quote  the  beautiful  tribute  which 
Dr.  C.  G.  Comegys  paid  to  the  venerable  Mussey  in  an  introductory  lecture 
before  the  class  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1857 : 

“Erect,  though  bearing  the  weight  of  five  and  seventy  years,  with  eye  undimmed, 
and  still  possessed  of  the  courage  of  the  lion,  the  nerve  of  the  ox,  and  the  delicacy  of 
woman’s  touch;  at  the  moment  we  would  see  him,  he  has  just  passed  the  ligature 
around  the  common  carotid  artery — its  fellow  he  has  before  tied;  he  pauses  ere  the 
knot  is  taken ; his  face  is  turned  upward,  with  lips  firmly  compressed  and  beaming 
eye; — he  expresses  no  vain  egotism,  no  wish  for  applause,  but  gratitude  to  God,  that 
surgical  science  has  such  resources,  and  that  he  should  have  been  counted  worthy  to 
be  the  first  to  do  this  great  act.” 

“Do  you  ask  his  name?  Go  to  the  rolls  of  surgery,  and  there,  just  below  the  name 
of  Physick,  whose  pupil  he  was,  you  will  find  it  associated  with  all  who  have  shed 
luster  on  the  American  name.  It  is  also  in  the  world’s  record ; on  the  same  page  with 
Cooper,  Liston,  Roux,  Dieffenbach,  Lisfranc  and  Velpeau.  Hundreds  of  the  most 


169 


eminent  men  of  this  valley  are  proud  that  his  name  is  inscribed  upon  their  diplomas ; 
and  you  are  hastening  on,  also  anxious  to  secure  his  approval  of  your  application  to 
enroll  yourselves  in  medicine.  His  companions  are  gone ; they  await  him  in  the  skies. 
But  long  may  our  venerable  Mussey  be  spared,  to  advance  to  full  high  success  the 
young  institution  for  which  he  has,  these  few  years  past,  labored  with  all  the  ardor 
of  youth.” 

Mussey ’s  valuable  collection  of  books,  containing  many  rare  medical 
works,  is  in  the  Cincinnati  Public  Library.  The  bust  of  Mussey  which  can 
be  seen  over  his  last  resting-place  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  was  modelled 
by  the  distinguished  sculptor  John  Frankenstein,  of  Cincinnati,  later  of  New 
York.  It  is  considered  one  of  the  most  meritorious  pieces  of  plastic  art 
ever  produced  in  this  country.  It  is  said  to  be  a good  likeness  of  the  great 
surgeon  whom  Gross  describes  as  having  been  ‘Yf  low  stature,  of  an  at- 
tenuated form,  with  high  cheek  bones,  a prominent  chin,  a small  gray  eye 
and  an  ungraceful  gait.  His  head  was  of  medium  size.  He  possessed  none 
of  the  magnetism  which  gives  a man  a commanding  influence  over  his  fellow- 
men.” 

JOHN  DELAMATER  was  born  in  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  April  17,  1787,  and 
died  in  Cleveland,  March  28,  1867,  after  giving  to  the  profession  nearly  sixty 
years  of  an  active  and  honored  career  as  a practitioner  but  more  especially 
as  a teacher  of  medicine.  He  was  of  Huguenot  ancestry  and  literally  grew, 
up  in  a doctor’s  offlce.  Little  is  known  concerning  his  earlier  career.  He 
practiced  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in  Sheffield,  Mass.  His  taste  ran  in  the 
direction  of  surgery  and  he  soon  acquired  a great  reputation  as  an  operator. 
In  1823  he  taught  surgery  in  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institute,  at  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  and  became,  four  years  later,  professor  of  operative  surgery  in  the 
medical  school  at  Fairfield,  Herkimer  Co.,  New  York,  where  he  was  the 
preceptor  of  Daniel  Brainard,  of  Chicago,  who  in  the  middle  third  of  the  last 
century  constituted  with  G.  C.  Blackman,  of  Cincinnati,  and  C.  xA.  Pope,  of 
St.  Louis,  the  great  Western  surgical  triumvirate.  Delamater  became  a 
member  of  the  medical  faculty  at  Dartmouth  (professor  of  practice  1836- 
1838,  professor  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children  1839-’40) 
and  filled  occasional  lecturing  engagements  at  a number  of  medical  colleges, 
among  them  Bowdoin  College  and  Geneva  Medical  College.  He  lectured  at 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during  the  first  half  of  the  session  1838-’39  on 
surgery  and  pathology,  filling  the  place  of  R.  D.  Mussey  who  had  been 
elected  professor  of  surgery  and  did  not  begin  his  work  until  January,  1839. 
He  was  urged  to  remain  in  Cincinnati,  but  preferred  to  return  to  Dartmouth. 
Subsequently  he  followed  his  friend,  J.  P.  Kirtland,  to  Willoughby  Medical 
College,  where  he  occupied  the  chair  of  surgery  for  six  years.  He  resigned 
his  chair  to  again  join  Kirtland  in  Cleveland  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
Western  Reserve  University  and  continued  to  teach  until  1860  when  increas- 
ing feebleness  forced  him  to  seek  long-merited  rest.  He  had  been  a teacher 


170 


of  medicine  for  forty  years  and  enjoyed  a national  reputation.  His  prin- 
cipal contribution  to  practical  surgery  was  the  excision  of  the  scapula  which 
he  was  the  first  operator  in  this  country  to  perform.  Coupled  with  his  extra- 
ordinary ability  as  an  exponent  of  medical  science  was  his  splendid  char- 
acter as  a man,  which  in  no  small  measure  contributed  to  his  great  popularity 
among  the  profession  of  this  country.  Delamater  and  Kirtland  are  the  most 
distinguished  names  in  the  medical  history  of  Northern  Ohio.  It  was  said 
of  Delamater  that  he  aided  in  the  medical  education  of  more  young  men 
than  any  man  of  his  time  and  that  he  was  the  most  versatile  medical  teacher 
in  America.  He  gave  over  seventy  courses  of  lectures  in  his  life  and 
embraced  every  branch  of  medicine  in  his  teaching. 

JARED  POTTER  KIRTLAND,  physician,  naturalist,  philosopher,  jurist, 
politician  and  man  of  affairs,  distinguished  alike  for  hiS  versatility  in  the  va- 
rious branches  of  natural  philosophy  and  for  his  broad  culture  and  genius,  was 
without  a doubt  one  of  the  most  talented  men  that  ever  graced  the  medical 
profession  of  Cincinnati.  His  work  as  a naturalist  in  investigating  the  re- 
sources of  the  West  and  as  a humanitarian  of  lofty  ideals  who  worked  in- 
cessantly to  satisfy  his  craving  for  knowledge  and  his  love  of  mankind,  will 
not  be  forgotten  as  long  as  there  are  people  in  the  West  who  appreciate  the 
pioneer  work  on  behalf  of  civilization  and  progress  done  by  such  men  as 
Daniel  Drake,  John  Locke,  J.  P.  Kirtland,  and  others. 

J.  P.  Kirtland,  the  ‘'Sage  of  Rockport,”  was  born  November  10,  1793,  in 
Wallingford,  Conn.,  where  his  grandfather  was  a successful  physician.  His 
grandfather,  Jared  Potter,  was  a distinguished  old  gentleman  who  had  been 
surgeon  to  the  militia  when  Connecticut  was  still  a British  colony.  He 
adopted  the  boy  and  gave  him  all  the  advantages  of  a good  education.  Kirt- 
land’s  father  had  gone  West  in  search  of  a future  and  had  located  in  the 
little  town  of  Poland,  Ohio.  Young  Kirtland  must  have  been  a child  of 
genius  because  in  addition  to  his  studies  which  he  pursued  at  the  academies 
of  Wallingford  and  Cheshire,  he  was  an  expert  botanist  when  but  twelve 
years  of  age.  He  had  picked  up  the  botanical  principles  of  Linneus  without 
instruction  or  help,  simply  by  reading  and  investigating.  He  was  an  expert 
at  budding  and  engrafting  and  assisted  his  grandfather  in  the  management 
of  his  extensive  orchards  of  white  mulberry  trees  which  had  been  grown 
for  the  cultivation  of  silk  worms.  When  the  lad  was  seventeen  years  of 
age,  he  set  out  on  horseback  to  see  the  world  and  incidentally  to  visit  his 
father  who  was  ill  and  had  written  him  to  come  West.  It  took  young  Kirt- 
land nearly  a month  to  reach  Poland,  Ohio.  He  found  his  father  hale  and 
hearty  and  decided  to  remain  for  awhile.  He  could  not  stand  the  drudgery 
of  a life  of  ease  and  accepted  a position  as  a teacher  in  the  town  school. 
After  one  year  he  returned  to  the  home  of  his  grandfather  only  to  find  the 
old  gentleman  on  his  deathbed.  He  inherited  his  grandfather’s  medical  li- 
brary and  sufficient  means  to  defray  his  expenses  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland, 


171 


where  he  was  to  study  medicine.  In  keeping  with  the  custom  of  the  day 
he  served  his  medical  apprenticeship  in  the  office  of  an  old  physician,  as- 
sisting the  doctor  in  his  work  and  reading  the  medical  text-books  of  the  day. 
In  1813  he  was  ready  to  sail  for  Edinburgh.  The  war  with  England  made 
it  impossible  for  him  to  carry  out  his  intention  and  he  decided  to  matriculate 
at  the  Yale  Medical  School,  which  was  to  open  the  following  Winter.  He 
was  the  first  medical  matriculant  of  Yale.  At  New  Haven  he  found  much 
to  arouse  his  interest  and  rivet  his  attention.  He  continued  his  botanical 
studies  and  did  much  original  work  in  mineralogy  and  zoology.  Silliman 
who  enjoyed  a national  reputation  as  a physicist,  took  much  interest  in  young 
Kirtland  and  encouraged  him  in  many  ways.  Kirtland  was  an  ambitious 
young  man  and  soon  overtaxed  his  strength.  The  spirit  was  willing,  but 
the  flesh  was  weak.  After  his  first  course  at  Yale  he  was  compelled  to  inter- 
rupt his  studies  and  decided  to  return  to  Wallingford  and  take  a vacation. 
He  began  to  practice  while  at  home  and  was  quite  successful.  After  a few 
months  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and  began  his  second  course  of  lectures. 
The  University  of  Pennsylvania  was  at  that  time  the  great  medical  school 
of  the  East  and  no  young  man  considered  his  medical  education  complete 
unless  he  had  attended  at  least  one  course  of  lectures  at  the  Pennsylvania 
school  where  Rush,  Wistar,  Physick,  Barton  and  other  great  teachers  com- 
posed the  faculty.  He  returned  to  his  first  love,  the  Yale  Medical  School, 
the  following  year,  took  his  degree,  got  married  and  began  to  practice  in 
Wallingford.  He  was  in  a short  time  the  leading  physician.  His  father 
who  was  a prosperous  farmer  in  Poland,  Ohio,  tried  to  induce  him  to  move 
to  Ohio  with  his  family.  He  visited  Ohio  preparatory  to  bringing  his  family 
West.  When  he  returned  to  Wallingford  he  found  that  in  his  absence  the 
people  of  the  town  had  elected  him  judge  of  the  probate  court.  While  the 
work  was  not  congenial,  he  performed  it  with  such  fidelity  and  success  that 
the  people  proposed  to  re-elect  him.  To  prevent  this,  he  moved  to  Durham, 
Conn.,  and  started  to  practice  medicine  there.  In  1823  he  lost  his  wife  and 
only  child  and  in  a thoroughly  despondent  state  of  mind  closed  his  office  and 
joined  his  father  in  Poland,  Ohio.  His  intention  was  to  become  a farmer. 
Medicine,  however,  is  a jealous  mistress.  After  a short  time  he  was  prac- 
ticing medicine  in  Poland,  Ohio.  He  was  elected  to  the  Ohio  Legislature 
in  1828  and  served  during  three  ternas.  He  did  a great  deal  towards  im- 
proving the  sanitary  conditions  of  the  penal  institutions  in  Ohio.  During 
all  these  years  he  had  never  lagged  in  his  research  work  in  botany  and  other 
branches  of  natural  philosophy.  His  career  as  a medical  teacher  began  in 
1837  when  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  then  a State  institution,  was  re- 
organizing its  faculty  in  order  to  ward  ofif  the  collapse  which  seemed  inevit- 
able. Drake  and  the  other  giants  of  the  Cincinnati  College  were  attracting 
vast  throngs  of  students  to  their  school.  The  professors  and  trustees  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  were  wrangling  and  fighting  over  the  almost  defunct 


172 


Ohio  College.  Some  of  its  best  teachers,  like  Eberle,  Cross  and  Cobb,  were 
preparing  to  leave.  At  this  juncture  an  effort  was  made  to  infuse  new 
life  into  the  old  Ohio  College  by  filling  the  chairs  with  new  men  of  reputa- 
tion and  ability.  Two  men  who  had  fought  for  the  interests  of  the  Ohio 
College  in  the  Legislature  were  among  the  new  professors.  They  were  M. 
B.  Wright  and  J.  P.  Kirtland.  Another  man  of  great  ability,  R.  D.  Mussey, 
became  a professor.  Thus  a true  regeneration  of  the  college  was  effected. 
Kirtland  held  the  chair  of  practice  during  five  sessions.  He  resigned  in 
1842,  lectured  for  a short  time  on  practice  in  Willoughby  Medical  College, 
was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  practice  in  Cleveland  Medical  College,  later 
the  Medical  Department  of  Western  Reserve  University,  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
resigned  in  1864  and  devoted  the  rest  of  his  life  to  scientific  work  and  re- 
search, more  especially  in  the  interests  of  the  flora  and  fauna  of  Ohio.  He 
died  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  December  10,  1877,  eighty-four  years  old. 

Kirtland  occupies  a high  rank  among  American  naturalists.  He  pub- 
lished a zoological  catalogue  of  Ohio,  made  geological  investigations  in 
Northern  Ohio,  and  wrote  an  exhaustive  monograph  on  the  fresh  water 
fishes  of  the  Western  States.  He  found  out  by  close  observation  that  the 
female  silk  moth  could  produce  fertile  eggs  without  the  co-operation  of  the 
male.  This  discovery  was  made  and  carefully  noted  almost  fifty  years  before 
Siebold  published  his  observations  on  partheno-genesis  in  insects.  As  early 
as  1829  he  demonstrated  the  existence  of  sexes  in  the  fresh  water  shells 
which  had  previously  been  considered  hermaphrodites.  He  was  an  authority 
on  scientific  farming  and  did  much  towards  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  in 
Northern  Ohio.  His  short  papers  on  mineralogy,  conchology,  ichthyology, 
botany,  fruit  culture,  taxidermy,  and  other  lines  of  natural  history  are  too 
numerous  to  mention.  He  was  an  enthusiast  on  natural  history  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  Those  who  have  not  learnt  the  value  of  time  and  the 
methodical  use  of  it,  might  profit  by  earnest  contemplation  of  a motto  which 
Dr.  Kirtland  had  hanging  over  his  desk  for  the  benefit  of  idlers  and  incon- 
siderate visitors:  “Time  is  money;  I have  neither  to  spare!” 

The  title  “Sage  of  Rockport”  refers  to  a country  place  five  miles  from 
Cleveland  where  he  demonstrated  the  principles  of  scientific  treatment  of 
the  soil  and  its  products.  He  was  accustomed  to  farming  and  gardening 
from  his  youth,  and  wherever  he  resided  had  always  successfully  cultivated 
the  soil.  He  was  the  first  to  prove  that  the  stiff  clay  soil  derived  from  the 
underlying  Devonian  shales  could  be  made  highly  productive  of  fruit,  espe- 
cially the  vine,  and  his  success  so  stimulated  others,  and  his  teaching  so  aided 
them,  that  the  unprofitable  and  exhausted  fallows  were  transformed  into 
valuable  orchards  and  vineyards.  The  grounds  about  his  house  were  a per- 
fect arboretum,  containing  nearly  every  variety  of  fruit  suitable  to  this  cli- 
mate, and  more  exotic  trees,  shrubs,  flowering  plants  and  garden  vegetables 
than  were  to  be  seen  at  any  other  private  establishment  in  the  State.  Some 


173 


of  his  varieties  of  fruit,  especially  cherries,  were  found  to  surpass  any  of 
the  best  varieties  yet  known,  and  were  cultivated  extensively  in  the  United 
States  and  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent  of  Europe. 

The  farmers  of  Ohio  are  under  a great  debt  of  gratitude  to  Dr.  Kirt- 
land.  He  not  only  studied  out  and  demonstrated  many  problems  in  regard 
to  soil  and  climate,  and  variety  of  fruits,  which  required  long,  tedious  and 
laborious  experiments,  but  when  the  problem  was  solved,  the  variety  estab- 
lished, and  the  method  of  it§  culture  perfected,  he  gave  the  results  gratis^ 
broadcast;  seeds,  slips  and  young  trees  were  distributed  all  over  the  country. 
His  voluminous  correspondence  contained  many  letters  declining  the  money 
sent  for  grafts  or  seeds  or  bulbs,  saying  he  did  not  keep  a nursery,  but 
enclosing  a list  of  the  required  articles  he  was  preparing  to  pack  and  for- 
ward, or  instructions  to  come  during  a certain  month  and  help  themselves  to 
cuttings,  seeds,  etc.  A cotemporary  wrote  of  him  that  more  than  half  of 
his  arduous  labors  were  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  and  bestowed  without 
compensation. 

Mx^RMADUKE  BURR  WRIGHT.  Some  day  when  the  history  of  Ameri- 
can midwifery  and  gynecology  is  written,  Cincinnati  and  her  tributary  territory 
will  receive  respectful,  nay,  even  honorable,  mention.  All  the  world  loves 
and  admires  the  heroism  of  Ephraim  McDowell  whose  wonderful  surgical 
feat  in  the  pioneer  days  of  this  Western  country,  away  in  the  then  backwoods 
of  Kentucky,  caused  the  exclusive  gentlemen  of  the  surgical  fraternity  in 
England  and  on  the  Continent  to  for  the  first  time  take  notice  of  something 
medical  that  came  to  them  from  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Can  anything  good 
come  out  of  Nazareth?  About  twenty  years  after  McDowell’s  great  opera- 
tion the  first  Caesarean  section  in  this  country  was  successfully  performed 
by  John  L.  Richmond,  a poor  country  doctor,  in  Newtown,  only  a few  miles 
from  Cincinnati.  The  brave  doctor’s  name  ought  to  be  preserved  on  tablets 
of  brass  because  he  was  a great  surgeon  in  its  proudest  and  most  comprehen- 
sive sense.  A great  surgeon  is  a man  whose  intellectual  resources  are  inde- 
pendent of  any  technical  equipment  or  rules  of  convention  or  tradition,  a man 
who  conquers  perplexing  and  unclassified  contingencies-  with  an  ever-victo- 
rious  readiness,  that  knows  no  rule  o’  thumb,  but  does  the  correct  thing 
instinctively  before  the  mind  has  hardly  had  a chance  to  analyze.  John  L.  Rich- 
mond had  the  heroism  of  a pioneer  and  the  courage  that  is  born  of  absolute 
self-dependence. 

Cincinnati  counts  among  her  great  medical  men  one  who  at  one  time  was 
said  to  have  had  as  great  an  obstetrical  experience  as  any  man  in  America, 
Reuben  Dimond  Mussey,  better  known  as  a surgeon  than  an  obstetrician. 
Landon  Rives  was  an  accoucheur  of  such  skill  that  Daniel  Drake  considered 
him  facile  prince ps  in  the  West.  Cincinnati  boasts  of  the  tokological  records 
of  Thad.  A.  Reamy  and  Wm.  H.  Taylor  whose  names  have  been  revered  by 
the  doctors  of  two  generations.  There  is  one  other  man  whose  memory  is 


174 


kept  green  by  his  own  great  and  diversified  achievements  as  well  as  by  the 
high  regard  in  which  he  was  and  is  held  by  American  obstetricians,  the  orig- 
inator of  bi-manual  version,  Marmaduke  Burr  Wright,  great  obstetrician, 
splendid  and  honest  medical  politician,  brilliant  teacher,  man  of  affairs  and 
versatile  medical  writer.  It  was  he  to  whom  James  T.  Whittaker,  with  his 
never-failing  felicity  of  quotation,  applied  the  stanza  that  was  once  penned  in 
honor  of  Fielding,  of  obstetrical  fame : 

“Sir  Fielding  old  was  made  a knight, 

He  should  have  been  a Lord  by  right, 

For  then  each  lady’s  prayer  would  be: 

O Lord,  good  Lord,  deliver  me !” 

Marmaduke  Burr  Wright  was  a product  of  New -Jersey,  where  he  was 
born  November  10,  1803,  in  the  town  of  Perrtberton,  Burlington  County. 
Soon  after  his  birth  his  father  moved  to  Trenton  where  seven  more  children 
were  added  to  the  family.  Mr,  Wright,  Sr.,  was  a successful  land  speculator 
and  builder,  who  was  amply  able  to  give  his  talented  first-born  all  the  advan- 
tages of  a good  education.  Young  Wright  attended  school  at  Lanseville, 
N.  J.,  and  afterwards  at  Trenton  where  Rev.  Elijah  Slack,  subsequently  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  in  charge  of  an  academy. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  young  Wright  began  to  read  medicine  as  a “surgeon’s 
apprentice”  and  continued  his  studies  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
graduated  in  1823. 

A few  years  previously  Mr.  Wright,  Sr.,  had  reverses  in  business  as  the 
result  of  which  he  came  West  in  search  of  better  luck.  He  located  in  Co- 
lumbus. When  young  Wright,  in  the  Spring  of  1823,  returned  home  with  a 
medical  diploma  in  his  hand  and  fond  hopes  in  his  heart,  he  found  his  father 
on  his  deathbed.  Young  Wright  started  his  battle  of  life  with  a widowed 
mother  and  her  seven  children  depending  on  hint  for  support  and  protection. 
Wright  looked  Fate  squarely  in  the  face  and  went  to  work.  God  always  helps 
the  man  who  helps  himself.  Wright  was  not  one  who  waited  to  be  helped. 
He  soon  had  acquired  a fair  practice  in  the  building  up  of  which  he  had 
made  a good  living  for  his  large  family  of  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  and 
incidentally  a splendid  reputation  for  himself.  A notable  achievement  of 
his  early  professional  career  was  the  tying  of  the  internal  iliac  in  an  emer- 
gency case.  The  patient  got  well. 

Wright  was  distinctly  a man  of  action,  full  of  initiative,  fearless  and  per- 
severing, built  after  the  pattern  of  Daniel  Drake.  He  took  an  interest  in 
public  afifairs  and  became  a member  of  the  Ohio  Legislature  where  he  was 
soon  recognized  as  the  Whig  floor-leader.  He  was  an  aggressive,  yet  pru- 
dent fighter,  and  used  his  tongue  and  his  fist  with  equal  facility.  His 
record  in  the  Legislature  was  one  of  ceaseless  activity,  as  shown  by  results, 
and  of  unquestionable  integrity,  as  admitted  even  by  his  political  antagonists. 


175 


Dr.  Wm.  M.  Awl,  of  Columbus,  was  also  a member  of  the  Ohio  Legis- 
lature. Wright  and  Awl,  through  similarity  of  purpose,  became  fast  friends. 
They  were  the  promoters  of  a bill  which  was  to  place  the  care  of  the  insane 
in  the  hands  of  the  State.  They  planned  to  open  a State  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  near  Columbus  and  to  found  similar  institutions  in  different  parts  of 
the  State.  The  bill  became  a law  May  5,  1835,  and  the  opening  of  the  Co- 
lumbus State  Hospital  in  1838,  with  Dr.  Awl  as  superintendent,  was  the 
result.  In  the  course  of  time  other  hospitals  were  added  (Dayton,  1855; 
Cleveland,  1855;  Longview,  1857;  Athens,  1864;  Toledo,  1884;  Massillon, 
1892).  Dr.  Wright  was  largely  instrumental  in  giving  Ohio  this  advanced 
and  humane  system  of  caring  for  the  insane.  While  a member  of  the  Legis- 
lature, he  took  an  interest  in  the  turbulent  affairs  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio,  and  opposed  any  and  all  attempts  to  jeopardize  the  existence  of  the 
school  by  countenancing  any  rival  school.  His  argument  was  that  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  was  a State  institution,  was  the  oldest  school  in  the 
State,  and  that  Cincinnati  was  too  small  a town  for  more  than  one  college. 
The  latter  point  was  well  taken. 

Wright  believed  in  medical  organization  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  ' 
doings  of  medical  societies.  He  was  a practical  worker  as  well  as  a scientific 
contributor.  Much  of  his  work  as  a physician  was  done  in  the  Ohio  Peni- 
tentiary in  his  capacity  as  the  official  medical  attendant.  In  June,  1837,  he 
contributed  an  article  on  “Scurvy  in  the  Ohio  Penitentiary”  to  the  “Western 
Quarterly  Journal  of  Practical  Medicine,”  of  which  John  Eberle,  the  great 
rival  of  Drake  as  the  exponent  of  principles  of  practice,  was  the  editor.  This 
was  in  one  of  the  most  critical  periods  in  the  life  of  the  Ohio  College.  The 
college  was  on  the  verge  of  collapse,  owing  to  the  everlasting  wrangling  of 
its  professors  most  of  whom  were  inferior  men.  Drake,  with  a magnificent 
faculty,  had  started  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College,  and 
left  no  stone  unturned  in  his  endeavor  to  put  the  rival  institution  out  of 
existence.  The  friends  of  the  Ohio  College  were  looking  around  for  capable 
and  active  men  to  fill  the  chairs.  John  Locke  was  added  to  the  faculty. 
Reuben  D.  Mussey  became  a professor.  Wright  was  asked  to  lend  a hand  in 
keeping  the  school  abov^  water,  and  he  accepted.  In  1838  he  was  made  pro- 
fessor of  materia  medica.  In  1840  he  became  John  Moorhead’s  successor 
in  the  chair  of  obstetrics.  He  held  the  chair  for  ten  years  and  incidentally 
took  a very  decided  part  in  the  continuous  fighting  which  was  as  freely 
indulged  in  as  ever  by  the  traditionally  belligerent  Ohio  professors.  The 
inglorious  record  of  John  T.  Shotwell  whose  ambition  to  be  the  professor  of 
surgery  and  dictator  of  the  faculty,  kept  the  latter  in  a constant  uproar,  led 
to  the  confusion  which  marked  the  year  1850.  Wright  was  removed  from  the 
chair  and  sought  surcease  from  excitement  and  .warfare  in  Europe  where  he 
visited  hospitals  and  clinics.  In  1860  he  re-entered  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  and  remained  its  professor  of  obstetrics  until  1868  when  he  became  an 
emeritus  professor  at  his  own  request.  He  died  August  15,  1879,  after  a 


176 


busy  and  extremely  useful  life  as  a citizen  and  physician.  Next  to  the  col- 
lege he  was  devoted  to  the  Commercial  (Cincinnati)  Hospital  where  he  did 
most  of  the  work  that  made  his  name  famous  throughout  the  country. 

Wright  reached  the  climax  of  his  professional  career  in  1854  when  he 
presented  to  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  his  famous  paper  on  “Difficult 
Labors  and  Their  Treatment/’  for  \^hich  he  received  a gold  medal.  This 
was  a dissertation  on  the  correction  of  malpositions  of  the  foetus  by  means 
of  cephalic  version.  In  this  paper  Dr.  Wright  did  not  claim  to  have  orig- 
inated the  operation,  but  to  have  been  very  successful  in  performing  it  by 
means  of  his  method  of  bi-manual,  or  external  and  internal  manipulation. 
In  this  operation  the  hand  applied  internally  acted  upon  the  shoulder  so  as 
to  give  it  a lateral  movement,  while  the  other  hand  was  applied  to  the  ab- 
domen in  such  a manner  as  to  give  the  breech  movement  towards  the  center 
of  the  uterine  cavity.  The  operation  is,  however,  well  known  and  does  not 
require  a description  here.  Priority  in  the  method  of  turning  by  external 
and  internal  manipulation  was  claimed  by  Hardin,  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1857 ; 
by  Hohl,  of  Leipsic,  in  1862;  Braxton  Hicks,  of  London,  in  1864;  and  Stadt- 
feld,  of  Copenhagen,  in  1869.  In  a letter  to  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic,”  in 
1878,  Dr.  Hicks  acknowledges  Dr.  Wright’s  claim  to  priority,  and  points  out 
the  differences  in  their  respective  methods. 

In  1854  the  Ohio  State  IMedical  Society  appointed  a committee,  consist- 
ing of  Drs.  M.  B.  Wright,  of  Cincinnati;  R.  Thompson,  of  Columbus,  and 
J.  S.  Newberry,  of  Cleveland,  to  report  on  Medical  Ethics.  The  report, 
written  by  Wright  in  his  best  ironical  vein,  is  an  interesting  document.  Wright 
summarizes  his  opinion  in  the  statement  that  a physician  who  is  a gentleman 
needs  no  special  code,  and  that  the  most  detailed  code  of  ethics  will  not  make 
gentlemen  out  of  those  who  are  not  gentlemen  by  nature.  Referring  to  the 
framing  of  a special  ethical  code  for  the  guidance  of  physicians  Wright  ob- 
serves : 

“But  the  belief  is  irresistible,  that  a body  of  dignified  and  learned  doctors  might  have 
been  more  profitably  employed,  than  in  compiling  a book  on  good  manners,  and  in  letting 
themselves  down  into  second  childhood,  to  repeat  the  early  lessons  of  the  first.  Still 
more  objectionable  is  that  edict  which  would  give  us  so  lowly  a position,  as  to  become 
the  proper  recipients  of  such  puerile  instructions.” 

The  proposed  code  contained  some  instructions  for  the  patients  who  are 
bound  to  gratitude,  etc.  Wright  says: 

“It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  these  lessons  are  intended  for  the  old  ladies  of  the 
land,  who  will  doubtless  obey  them  to  the  letter,  and  be  ever  grateful  for  such  precious 
boons.  It  was  a great  oversight,  however,  that  the  committee  did  not  provide  for  their 
dissemination.  They  are  luminous  with  simplicity,  truth  and  beauty,  and  that  their  useful- 
ness may  be  transferred  from  the  Code  of  Ethics  to  the  pages  of  that  old  and  still  more 
useful  book.  Mother  Goose’s  Melodies.” 

On  “duties  of  physicians  to  each  other”  Wright  has  this  to  say: 

“Scrutinizing  these  rules  of  conduct  carefully,  one  is  led  to  inquire,  Have  they 
been  published  for  the  instruction  of  uneducated  boys  or  to  regulate  the  conduct  of  those 


177 


who  have  advanced  to  ripe  manhood?  Oiir  astonishment  is  heightened  when  we  learn 
that  certain  individuals  have  been  deputed  to  teach  morals  to  those  fully  equal  to  them- 
selves in  age,  respectability,  learning,  experience  and  correctness  of  conduct.” 

Wright  further  opines: 

“Thus  have  your  committee  presented  the  substance  of  the  entire  code  of  medical 
ethics,  adopted  in  its  wisdom  by  the  American  Medical  Association,  for  the  benefit  of 
its  members,  and  which,  in  our  presumed  ignorance,  it  would  impose  upon  us.  If  we 
have  been  successful  in  securing  your  attention,  you  are  doubtless  prepared  to  decide, 
that  the  code  contains  some  good  precepts ; but  that  they  are  commonplace,  known  to 
every  man,  and  therefore  unnecessary,  that  others  are  simply  ridiculous,  that  others  may 
justly  admit  wide  differences  of  opinion,  and  that  others  still  are  arrogant  and  insulting.” 

That  Wright  was  a man  of  principle,  of  courage  and  wisdom  is  apparent 
from  the  following  comment  he  made  on  ^‘ethics  made  to  order.”  Says  he; 

“The  great  object  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  in  adopting  a code  of 
ethics,  seems  to  have  been,  to  give  a standard  of  professional  dignity.  Professional  dig- 
nity ! Alas,  how  often  does  our  adherence  to  words  make  us  unmindful  of  ideas.  Those 
who  are  ever  telling  us  what  dignity  is,  may  be  reminded,  without  offense,  of  what  it 
is  not.  True  dignity  is  not  captious.  It  does  not  embroil  itself  in  low,  petty  disputes. 
It  does  not  peep  at  corners  to  see  whose  house  is  visited ; nor  does  it  put  its  ears  to  key- 
holes, to  catch  half  words,  that  imagination  or  malice  may  make  sentences.  It  does  not 
revel  over  misfortune,  nor  envy  rewarded  merit.  It  does  not  crawl  on  the  earth,  that 
it  may  throw  dust  in  the  eyes  of  fools;  but  it  stands  erect,  in  all  the  fullness  of  god-like 
manhood,  and  in  the  light  of  day,  that  the  whole  world  may  gaze  upon  its  open,  unshaded 
brow.” 

“As  interpreted  by  the  American  Medical  Association,  what  does  professional  dignity 
mean?  It  means,  that  all  medical  men  should  look  through  the  same  spectacles,  and  if 
they  are  not  adapted  to  the  eye,  the  eye  must  be  adapted  to  them.  Each  must  acknowl- 
edge that  his  cranium  contains  less  brains  than  any  other.  The  body  must  be  squeezed 
with  the  same  corset,  that  all  may  be  reduced  to  one  shape.  Corns  or  no  corns,  our 
boots  must  be  made  upon  the  same  last.  No  man  shall  bow  half  an  inch  below  the 
standard  measure.  Still,  we  are  not  dignified  enough,  we  must  unite  with  our  patients, 
and  entertain  one  another  in  making  music  with  a sugar  whistle.” 

“Under  restraints  like  these,  the  active  and  vigorous  of  the  profession  will  become 
no  more  efficient  than  the  acknowledged  cripples.  Now  is  the  time,  and  this  is  the 
place,  to  tear  in  tatters  the  mantle  which  has  so  long  concealed  our  individuality.  We 
can  not  reach  a higher  or  more  attractive  dignity,  than  that  which  characterizes  a gen- 
tleman.” 

“Those  societies  which  have  engaged  most  earnestly  in  scientific  culture,  which  have 
been  conducted  most  harmoniously,  and  attained  greatest  strength,  are  those  which  have 
excluded  elaborate  constitutions  and  by-laws,  and  all  codes  of  ethics.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  bane  of  some  societies  has  been  legislation  upon  legislation,  respecting  sickroom 
politeness.  Angry  discussions  have  arisen,  crimination  and  re-crimination  have  followed, 
notices  of  withdrawals  have  been  entered,  until  the  organization  has  become  so  reduced, 
that  it  could  scarcely  be  considered  a wreck  of  that  which  once  existed.  The  crucible 
of  the  philosopher  has  been  thrown  aside,  and  the  cauldron  of  the  defamer  introduced 
as  its  substitute.” 

“To  establish  a character  for  honesty  of  purpose  and  fair  dealing  and  to  bring  indi- 
vidual members  within  its  influence,  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  must  conform  its 
actions  to  its  professions.  It  must  not  look  with  indifference  upon  the  high  offenses  of 
some,  and  even  place  them  in  elevated  positions,  while  it  aims  at  the  destruction  of  a 


178 


pretending  member,  whom  malice  has  unjustly  pursued.  Laws  for  the  punishment  of 
crime  should  reach  the  high  as  well  as  the  low.  The  thief,  with  an  outside  show  of 
respectability,  merits  even  more  punishment  than  the  bold,  unclothed  offender.  A com- 
mittee selected  to  explain,  direct  and  enforce  the  code  of  ethics,  should  have  no  more 
stain  upon  their  garments  than  falls  to  humanity  as  a common  lot.  If  they  are  offenders, 
they  are  disqualified  from  the  enforcement  of  the  law  upon  others,  and  the  law  itself 
becomes  worse  than  a nullity.  How  is  it  with  the  Standing  Committee  on  Ethics,  ap- 
pointed to  regulate  our  conduct,  and  to  report  upon  our  delinquencies?” 

“Let  any  honorable  man,  with  the  history  of  the  past  before  him,  look  at  the  center 
of  that  committee,  and  he  can  not  fail  to  pronounce  it  a biting  sarcasm,  a hideous  mock- 
ery. The  individual  occupying  that  place  (Professor  Mendenhall),  has  rendered  himself 
notorious  by  unprovoked,  assassin-like  attacks  upon  professional  character,  and  for  no 
other  reason,  seemingly,  than  that  he  might  secure  a foothold  upon  some  portion  of  the 
ruin.  How  much  more  dignified  and  attractive  would  this  society  appear,  if,  in  its 
organization,  it  had  presumed  upon  the  honorable  bearing  of  its  members,  instead  of 
acting  upon  the  principle  that  all  were  corrupt,  requiring  one,  accomplished  in  meanness, 
to  keep  them  in  subjection.” 

“It  has  been  already  intimated  that  there  are  some  who  interpret  the  code  to  mean 
the  establishment  and  enforcement  of  certain  defined  principles  and  that  all  outside  con- 
duct is  strictly  legitimate  and  correct.  Has  the  society,  backed  by  the  Code  of  Ethics 
as  supreme  authority,  summoned  trustees  and  professors  of  colleges,  to  answer  for  their 
long-cherished  malignancy,  and  unceasing  abuse  of  others?  If  not,  is  the  omission  to 
be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  the  code  does  not  embrace  the  names  of  trustees,  professors, 
and  would-be  professors,  and  that  they  can  not  be  held  accountable  in  these  several 
relations,  for  any  act  they  may  commit,  however  dishonorable  it  might  be  to  them  as 
individuals?  If  they  are  released  from>  accountability,  how  can  we  assume  hardihood 
enough  to  punish  those  who  have  been  drawn  within  the  influence  of  their  example? 
It  were  better  that  medical  men  should  be  left  to  the  guidance  of  their  own  conscientious 
views  of  right,  than  that  they  should  be  held  responsible  only  for  the  commission  of 
villainy  named  in  the  bond.  Either  spread  your  code  into  a volume  ponderous  enough 
to  include  all  medical  men,  and  every  species  of  offense  within  its  embrace,  or  condense 
it  into  the  single  more  potent  sentence : ‘The  Physician  and  the  Gentleman  are  in- 
separable.’ ” 

“The  late  attempt  of  the  American  Medical  Association  to  inflict  a deep  wound 
on  this  society,  must  prove  injurious  to  herself,  and  it  may  be,  that  upon  us  will  devolve 
the  painful  duty  of  writing,  as  her  only  deserved  epitaph,  self-destruction.  From  this 
day  onward,  unless  new  and  wiser  counsels  prevail,  she  will  gradually  but  surely  tend 
to  her  sad,  dishonorable  end.”  ' 

“There  is  nothing  upon  which  our  society  is  in  greater  danger  of  being  wrecked, 
than  upon  the  treacherous  and  sandy  Code  of  Ethics.  Let  us,  before  it  is  too  late,  dis- 
miss the  pilot  who  would  conduct  our  bark  along  the  shoals,  and  sail  out  upon  the 
broad,  deep  ocean  of  individual  enterprise.  We  have  the  manhood  and  the  skill  to 
overcome  all  the  dangers  that  beset  us,  and  at  last  win  the  honors  due  noble  achieve- 
ments. And  especially,  let  us  not  be  too  anxious  to  remain  attached  to  that  unwieldy 
hulk,  that  would  over-ride  and  sink  us  forever.  Our  hearts  are  our  most  true  and 
reliable  compass;  and  the  enlightened  mind  is  the  helmsman  who  is  to  guide  us  in 
safety,  through  all  professional  dangers.” 

“Fear 

No  petty  customs  or  appearances. 

But  think  what  others  only  dream  about; 

And  say  what  others  dare  but  think;  and  do 
What  others  would  but  say;  and  glory  in 
What  .others  dared  but  do.” 


179 


“The  committee,  therefore,  append  to  this  report  the  following : Resolved,  That  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Society  does  not  require  the  existence  of  any  Code  of  Medical 
Ethics,  as  such,  to  secure  kindness  of  intercourse,  concert  of  action,  and  scientific  im- 
provement among  its  members;  that  the  great  moral  code,  containing  the  injunction, 
‘Do  unto  others  as  ye  would  that  others  should  do  unto  you,’  and  our  feelings  as  gentle- 
men, are  as  efficient  as  anything  can  be,  in  promoting  a true  and  unexceptionable  spirit 
of  social  and  professional  intercourse.” 

“M.  B.  WRIGHT, 

“R.  THOMPSON, 

“J.  S.  NEWBERRY.” 

The  number  of  lectures,  addresses,  papers  and  essays  on  a variety  of  topics, 
written  by  Wright,  is  very  considerable.  His  best  efforts  were: 

The  Physiological  Effects  and  Therapeutic  Uses  of  Water.  1839. 

Incidents  of  Professional  Life.  1841. 

The  Science  of  Medicine  as  a Compilation  of  Truths.  1843. 

The  Integrity  of  the  Profession  and  Its  Moral  Courage.  1843. 

Drunkenness  and  Insanity.  1845. 

Exhumation  and  Dissection  of  Human  Bodies.  1846. 

The  Qualifications  of  Professors  and  Students.  1847. 

Life  and  Character  of  S.  A.  Latta,  M.D.  1852. 

Life  and  Character  of  John  Locke,  M.D.  1857. 

Drunkenness,  Its  Nature  and  Cure.  1859. 

Historical  Reminiscences  of  the  Professors  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio.  1861. 

A Short  History  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  1861. 

The  Idolatry  of  Our  People ; or.  The  Rebellion  in  Its  Medical  Aspects. 
1862. 

Pigmentation,  a Rare  Disease  Among  Infants.  1875. 

Address  at  the  Opening  of  the  New  Amphitheatre  of  the  Cincinnati  Hos- 
pital. 1877. 

These  and  other  papers  and  addresses  were  read  and  delivered  before 
classes  of  medical  students,  before  local  and  State  medical  societies  and  one 
or  two  before  the  American  Medical  Association. 

Wright  had  considerable  poetical  talent  and  left  quite  a few  evidences  of 
it  in  the  form  of  poems  written  at  various  times.  He  was  intensely  patriotic, 
and  in  1861  insisted  that  his  sons  should  enlist  to  help  in  the  defense  of  the 
Union. 

I have  referred  to  Wright  as  a “medical  politician.”  In  contra-distinction 
to  what  Drake  called  “the  selfish,  narrow-minded,  cowardly  and  dishonest  in- 
dividuals who,  in  not  a few  instances,  carry  on  the  politics  of  the  profession, 
of  a medical  society,  of  a hospital  or  of  a college,”  Wright,  like  Drake,  im- 
personated the  clean  and  honest  type  of  the  medical  politician.  He  was  and 
remained  honest  because  he  never  confounded  principles  with  persons.  Per- 
sons to  him  were  only  incidental  to  the  idea.  He  despised  the  political  methods 


180 


of  Shotwell,  Vattier  and  oilier  men  of  this  type  whose  every  effort  was  in 
the  direction  of  personal  gain  and  advantage.  This  is  what  he  said  in  1851 
when  his  enemies  had  the  upper  hand  and  he  had  to  leave  the  college  he  loved : 

“It  is  the  unclean  and  dishonest  medical  politician  who  fortifies  his  position  and 
increases  his  power  by  the  studious  cultivation  of  sycophancy,  nepotism,  suppression  of 
individuality  and  terrorization  of  real  talent.” 

It  seems  that  quite  a few  men  today  could  profitably  emulate  the  splendid 
example  of  M.  B.  Wright  who  demonstrated  that  what  Drake  said  in  1835 
was,  is  and  will  ever  remain  true,  to-wit : that  “it  is  possible  to  be  a politician 
without  ceasing  to  be  honest  and  honorable,  to  be  a professor  in  a medical 
college  without  sacrificing  manhood  and  becoming  a zealot,  to  be  a man  of 
affairs  professionally  without  giving  up  individuality,  and  to  be  a public  man 
without  losing  the  respect  of  men.”  Wright’s  life  is  one  of  the  object-lessons 
which  the  heroic  past  offers  to  the  barren  present.  “His  life  was  noble  and 
the  elements  so  mixed  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up  and  say  to  all  the 
world : This  was  a man !” 


181 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT  OE  THE 
CINCINNATI  COLLEGE. 

(Drake’s  School.) 

There  were  giants  in  the  earth  in  those  days. — Genesis  iv.,  4. 

Before  giving  an  account  of  the  short  but  brilliant  history  of  this,  the 
greatest  medical  school  the  West  has  ever  seen,  a brief  historical 
sketch  of  the  Cincinnati  College  will  serve  as  a suitable  introduction  to 
our  subject. 

Practically  the  whole  block  bounded  by  Fourth  and  Fifth,  Main  and 
Walnut  Streets,  was  originally  given  to  the  Presbyterians  as  a site  for 
their  church,  for  a cemetery  and  for  whatever  other  purpose  they  might  want 
to  use  the  ground.  In  1814  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Rev.  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  a pioneer  churchman  in  the  West,  conceived  the  idea 
to  start  a Lancasterian  school  in  Cincinnati,  and  enlisted  the  interest  and 
support  of  some  of  the  most  influential  citizens.  Drake  was  deeply  interested 
and  helped  Rev.  Wilson  in  every  way.  The  meaning  of  the  word  “Lancaster” 
in  connection  with  an  educational  institution  has  been  explained  elsewhere 
in  this  book.  Mr.  Isaac  Stagg,  a noted  local  architect,  designed  the  plan  of 
the  new  school  building,  and  in  1815  it  was  ready  for  occupancy.  The  struc- 
ture was  a two-story  brick  building,  with  two  oblong  wings,  stretching  eighty- 
eight  feet  back  from  Fourth  Street.  They  were  connected  by  an  apartment 
for  staircases,  eighteen  by  thirty  feet,  out  of  which  sprang  a dome-shaped 
peristyle  by  way  of  observatory.  The  front  of  this  middle  apartment  was 
decorated  with  a colonnade,  forming  a handsome  portico  thirty  feet  long  and 
twelve  feet  deep,  the  front  and  each  side  being  ornamented  with  a pediment 
and  Corinthian  cornices.  The  aspect  of  the  building  is  described  as  light  and 
airy,  and  would  have  been  elegant  had  the  doors  been  wider  and  the  pedi- 
ments longer,  and  the  building  divested  of  disfiguring  chimneys.  As  it  was, 
it  was  considered  the  finest  public  edifice  at  that  time  west  of  the  Alleghanies. 
One  wing  was  for  male  and  one  for  female  children ; and  between  the  two 
there  was  no  passage  except  by  the  portico.  The  recitation  and  study  rooms 
in  the  lower  story  had  sittings  for  nine  hundred  children,  and  the  whole  for 
fourteen  hundred.  Each  upper  story,  in  the  plan,  was  to  have  three  apart- 
ments, two  in  the  ends,  each  thirty  feet  square ; and  one  in  the  center  twenty- 
five  feet  square,  with  a skylight  and  the  appurtenances  of  a philosophical  hall. 


182 


Cincinnati  Cottege  Buieding 

(Erected  1816.  De.stroyed  by  fire  1844) 


Cincinnati  Coeeege  Buieding 

(directed  1845.  Destroyed  by  fire  1869) 


18B 


The  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1845.  A second  building  was  erected 
which  burnt  down  in  1869.  It  was  followed  by  another  structure  which  was 
razed  a few  years  ago  to  make  room  for  the  present  Mercantile  Library 
Building. 

The  Lancasterian  Seminary  was  short-lived.  Within  a year  the  Lancas- 
terian  feature  was  dropped  and  the  institution  (1819)  chartered  as  a literary 
college  or  a university  under  the  presidency  of  Elijah  Slack.  At  the  first 
Commencement  (1821)  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon 
two  distinguished  Cincinnati  divines,  Rev.  Joshua  L.  Wilson  and  Rev.  James 
Kemper,  and  Wm.  H.  Harrison,  afterwards  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  literary  department  flourished  for  a number  of  years.  Some  of  its 
professors  were  very  eminent  men.  The  school  president.  Rev.  W.  H.  Me- 
Guffey,  the  author  of  “McGuffey’s  Readers,”  had  been  president  of  Miami 
University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  after  leaving  Cincinnati  became  president 
of  the  Ohio  University,  Athens,  Ohio,  and  still  later  professor  of. philosophy 
in  the  University  of  Virginia.  He  was  a scholar,  but  above  all,  he  was  a 
teacher  of  great  ability.  The  professor  of  mathematics  was  Ormsby  M. 
Mitchell,  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Observatory,  a genius  and  a great 
teacher.  The  site  for  the  observatory  building  was  given  by  old  Nicholas 
Longworth  and  the  equipment  was  purchased  with  money  which  was  raised 
by  popular  subscription.  At  the  dedication  the  principal  speech  was  made 
by  John  Quincy  Adams  which  fact  is  perpetuated  by  the  name  of  the  hill 
upon  which  the  observatory  was  built.  Mount  Adams.  The  professor  of 
languages  in  the  Cincinnati  College  was  Rev.  Asa  Drury,  another  great 
teacher,  born  at  Athol,  Mass.,  in  1802,  a graduate  of  Yale  in  1829,  a teacher 
at  Yale  from  1829  to  1831,  ordained  a minister  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
1832,  professor  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  Denison  University,  Granville,  Ohio, 
from  1832  to  1835,  professor  in  the  Cincinnati  College  from  1835  to  1838. 
He  spent  a few  years  in  the  East,  was  professor  of  Greek  in  the  Western 
Baptist  Theological  Institute,  Covington,  Ky.,  from  1843  to  1851,  when 
he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Covington  High  School  and  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools.  During  the  war  he  was  Chaplain  of  the  18th  Regi- 
ment Kentucky  Volunteer  Infantry.  At  the  battle  of  Richmond,  August  30, 
1862,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  home  on  parole.  In  1866  he  took 
charge  of  a church  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  died  in  1870.  He  was  the 
father  of  Dr.  Alexander  G.  Drury,  the  distinguished  medical  historian.  The 
professor  of  rhetoric  and  belles-lettres  in  the  Cincinnati  College  was  Charles 
L.  Telford,  distinguished  alike  as  an  orator  and  a writer.  He  was  after- 
wards a professor  in  the  law  department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.  The 
Law  School  and  the  Law  Library  are  the  only  remainders  of  the  once  famous 
Cincinnati  College  under  whose  charter  in  1835  Daniel  Drake  opened  his 
medical  school  as  the  “Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.” 

That  the  opening  of  this  rival  school  met  with  most  determined  oppo- 
sition at  the  hands  of  the  friends  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  can  readily 


184 


SamueIv  D.  Gross 


LandonC.  Rives 


Horatio  B.  Jameson 


Joseph  N.  McDoweee 


WiEEARD  Parker  185 


James  B.  Rogers 


be  imagined.  They  contested  the  right  of  the  trustees  of  the  Cincinnati 
College  to  conduct  a department  of  medicine  under  their  charter.  Failing 
in  this,  they  tried  to  cast  discredit  upon  the  new  school  by  a circular  in  which 
they  stated  that  the  new  school  would  not  be  recognized  by  the  other  schools. 
This  proved  a boomerang  because  it  evoked  statements  from  nearly  every 
school  of  prominence  that  were  flattering  to  Drake.  Next  they  attacked 
Drake’s  work  and  character  in  the  secular  press,  especially  the  “Cincinnati 
Whig  and  Commercial  Intelligencer.”  This  was  a mistake  because  it  adver- 
tised Drake  and  won  him  new  friends.  Alban  Goldsmith  was  the  author 
of  a series  of  the  bitterest  and  most  defamatory  articles.  Drake  answered 
his  enemies  through  his  “Western  Journal”  (1835).  On  June  27,  1835, 
the  trustees  of  the  Cincinnati  College  announced  the  opening  of  their  Med- 
ical Department  with  the  following  faculty:  Joseph  N.  McDowell,  anatomy; 
Samuel  D.  Gross,  pathology,  physiology  and  jurisprudence;  Horatio  B. 
Jameson,  surgery;  Landon  C.  Rives,  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and 
children;  James  B.  Rogers,  chemistry  and  pharmacy;  John  P.  Harrison, 
materia  medica;  Daniel  Drake,  practice;  John  L.  Riddell,  adjunct  in  chem- 
istry and  lecturer  on  botany.  Drake  June  30,  1835,  issued  a manifesto  in 
which  he  explained  his  position.  It  is  a remarkable  document  (see  “West- 
ern Journal,”  1835,  No.  2).  Cary  A.  Trimble  who,  as  a student  in  the  Ohio 
College,  had,  in  1833,  memorialized  the  Legislature  and  brought  charges 
against  the  Ohio  faculty,  was  made  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  new 
school.  Dr.  Jameson  resigned  after  the  first  session.  His  successor  was 
Willard  Parker. 

The  rivalry  between  the  two  schools  was  most  bitter.  Even  the  students 
had  caught  the  spirit  of  the  situation  and  indulged  in  fisticuff  engagements 
whenever  the  opportunity  was  offered.  The  Commercial  Hospital  'from 
which  the  professors  and  students  of  the  new  school  were  excluded,  the  Ohio 
College  being  by  law  the  caretaker  and  beneficiary  of  the  hospital,  was  the 
principal  bone  of  contention.  Drake  fitted  up  a small  hospital  opposite  his 
college  (where  now  the  Gibson  House  stands)  and  called  it  the  “Cincinnati 
Hospital.”  It  furnished  the  clinical  material  for  the  new  school.  Yet  it 
was  inadequate  to  compete  with  the  Commercial  Hospital  which  was  con- 
ducted by  the  State.  Drake’s  Eye  Infirmary,  referred  to  elsewhere,  became  a 
clinical  department  of  the  new  school.  In  1839,  after  a four  years’  struggle, 
Drake  broke  up  the  monopoly  of  the  Ohio  College  in  the  Commercial  Hos- 
pital. In  accordance  with  an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  in  1839  the 
township  trustees  issued  an  order  permitting  the  students  of  the  Cincinnati 
College  to  attend  clinical  lectures  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  and  made  an 
arrangement  whereby  some  of  the  professors  were  added  to  the  staff.  Un- 
fortunately the  victory  came  too  late.  Drake  and  his  associates  who  had 
conducted  their  school  without  help  or  endowment,  were  about  to  abandon 
the  school.  During  the  year  previous  the  Standing  Committee  on  Medical 
Colleges  and  Medical  Societies  submitted  two  reports  to  the  Legislature,  one 


sustaining  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  the  other  recommending  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  as  the  more  deserving  of  sup- 
port. It  was  suggested  to  turn  all  properties  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
over  to  the  Cincinnati  College,  making  the  latter  a State  institution.  The 
committee  consisted  of  five  members.  Each  report  was  handed  in  by  two 
members.  One  member  did  not  vote.  This  is  what  saved  the  day  for  the 
Ohio  College.  Drake  had  many  open  and  hidden  enemies  to  fight.  He 
struggled  manfully  against  hopeless  odds.  He  impersonated  in  his  fight  for 
supremacy  the  motto  of  his  school : Labor  vincit  omnia!  In  pleading  the 
cause  of  his  school  before  the  Legislature  in  1838,  he  stated : 

“The  Cincinnati  College  possesses  every  requisite  except  genius  and  learning  in 
its  professors,  but  these,  I suppose,  could  be  at  any  time  bestowed  on  them  by  a 
circular  of  the  board  of  trustees.” 

This  bit  of  sarcasm  refers  to  the  trustees  of  the  Ohio  College  who  every 
few  weeks  issued  a circular  setting  forth  what  the  professors  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  were  going  to  do,  what  great  men  they  were,  etc.  These 
circulars  appeared  so  often  that  even  the  Legislature  in  Columbus  did  not 
take  them  seriously,  but  frequently  joked  about  them  whenever  the  affairs 
of  the  Ohio  College  came  up  for  discussion.  The  short  but  brilliant  career 
of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  is  thus  described  by 
Gross  in  1854  in  his  Memorial  of  Drake : 

“With  such  a faculty  the  school  could  hardly  fail  to  prosper.  It  had,  however,  to 
contend  with  one  serious  disadvantage,  namely,  the  want  of  an  endowment.  It  was, 
strictly  speaking,  a private  enterprise ; and  although  the  citizens  of  Cincinnati  contrib- 
uted, perhaps  not  illiberally,  to  its  support,  yet  the  chief  burden  fell  upon  the  four 
original  projectors,  Drake,  Rives,  McDowell  and  myself.  They  found  the  edifice  of 
the  Cincinnati  College  erected  many  years  before,  in  a state  of  decay,  without  appa- 
ratus, lecture  rooms  or  museum;  they  had  to  go  east  of  the  mountains  for  two  of 
their  professors,  with  onerous  guarantees ; and  they  had  to  encounter  no  ordinary 
degree  of  prejudice  and  actual  opposition  from  friends  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 
It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  after  struggling  on,  although  with  annually  in- 
creasing classes,  and  with  a spirit  of  activity  and  perseverance  that  hardly  knew  any 
bounds,  it  should  at  length  have  exhausted  the  patience,  and  even  the  forbearance 
of  its  founders.  What,  however,  contributed  more,  perhaps  than  anything  else  to 
its  immediate  downfall,  was  the  resignation  of  Doctor  Parker,  who  in  the  Summer 
of  1839,  accepted  the  corresponding  chair  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  an  institution  which  he  has  been  so  instrumental  in  elevating, 
and  which  he  still  continues  to  adorn  by  his  talents  and  his  extraordinary  popularity 
as  a teacher  and  a practitioner.  The  vacation  of  the  surgical  chair  was  soon  followed 
by  my  own  retirement  and  by  that  of  my  other  colleagues.  Doctor  Drake  being  the  last 
to  withdraw.” 

“During  the  four  years  the  school  was  in  existence  it  educated  nearly  four  hun- 
dred pupils ; the  last  class  being  nearly  double  that  in  the  rival  institution,  an  evi- 
dence at  once  of  its  popularity,  and  the  ability  and  enterprise  of  its  faculty.  The 
school  had  cost  each  of  the  original  projectors  about  four  thousand  dollars,  nearly 
the  amount  of  the  emoluments  of  their  respective  chairs  during  its  brief  but  brilliant 
career.” 


187 


“Doctor  Drake  had  the  success  of  this  enterprise  much  at  heart,  and  often  ex- 
pressed regret  at  its  failure ; what  the  result  might  have  been,  if  it  had  been  vig- 
orously prosecuted  up  to  the  present  time,  must,  of  course,  remain  a matter  of  con- 
jecture. I have  often  thought,  and  so  had  my  lamented  friend,  that  we  had  vitality 
and  energy  enough  in  our  faculty  to  build  up  a great  and  flourishing  institution, 
creditable  alike  to  the  West  and  to  the  United  States.  He  had  a high  opinion  of  the 
ability,  zeal  and  learning  of  his  colleagues,  whom  he  never  ceased  to  regard  as  one 
of  the  most  powerful  bodies  of  men  with  whom  he  was  ever  associated  in  medical 
teaching.  The  correctness  of  his  judgment  was  amply  confirmed  by  the  elevated  posi- 
tions to  which  most  of  them  have  since  attained.” 

The  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  was  the  crowning 
glory  of  Drake’s  career  as  a teacher.  The  faculty  was  the  ablest  under  the 
roof  of  a Western  medical  school.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  school  in  the 
West  has  ever  seen  greater  talent  and  genius  within  its  walls  than  Drake’s 
College  during  its  four  years  of  brilliant  existence.  Its  faculty  and  that  of 
Rutgers  College,  which  entered  upon  its  brief  but  glorious  existence  about  a 
decade  previously,  and  possibly  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  are  without  a 
doubt  the  three  greatest  combinations  of  medical  talent  this  country  has 
ever  seen.  The  character  of  Drake’s  College  is  strikingly  shown  by  the 
personnel  of  the  faculty.  Among  the  first  graduates  of  the  school  was 
Charles  A.  Pope  (born  in  Huntsville,  Ala.,  in  1818,  died  in  Paris,  France,  in 
1870)  the  famous  St.  Louis  surgeon. 

SAMUEL  D.  GROSS,  for  fully  four  decades  the  representative  American 
surgeon,  may  justly  be  considered  a product  of  Medical  Cincinnati,  where 
he  laid  the  foundation  to  his  subsequent  greatness  as  a surgeon,  a teacher 
and  an  author.  The  story  of  this  distinguished  man’s  life  illustrates  the 
possibilities  of  greatness  and  success  which  are  opened  up  by  natural  ability 
re-enforced  by  a willingness  to  work.  It  seems  that  of  these  two  elements 
of  greatness  the  willingness  and  capacity  for  work  preponderated  in  Gross’ 
case.  In  point  of  natural  born  genius  Gross  was  not  the  equal  of  Daniel 
Drake,  but  he  certainly  was  a toiler  all  his  life,  proving  that  great  capacity 
for  work  will  sometimes  take  the  place  of  genius. 

Gross  was  born  July  8,  1805,  on  his  father’s  farm  near  Easton,  Pa.  His 
parents  were  Pennsylvania  Germans.  The  family  originally  came  from  the 
Rhenish.  Palatinate  (Rheinpfalz),  Germany.  Young  Gross  grew  up  in  the 
bosom  of  Nature  and  cultivated  his  powers  of  observation  and  research  at 
an  early  age.  He  was  a favorite  among  the  neighbors  who  all  liked  the 
bright  and  clever  flaxen-haired  boy.  The  old  family  physician  was  particu- 
larly fond  of  the  chap  who  reciprocated  the  friendly  interest  of  the  dignified 
old  gentleman  by  great  respect  and  ultimately  by  a determination  to  become  a 
doctor.  Gross  attended  the  country  schools  and,  with  whatever  education  he 
had  acquired  there,  entered  at  the  age  of  seventeen  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  K. 
Swift,  of  Easton,  as  a medical  apprentice.  He  soon  found  that  his  early 

188 


education  was  not  equal  to  the  requirements  of  scientific  work  and  inter- 
rupted his  medical  studies  for  two  years  for  the  purpose  of  attending-  the 
Wilkesbarre  Academy.  Here  he  studied  and  worked  day  and  night.  After 
two  years  he  returned  to  his  medical  studies  and  made  rapid  progress. 
Eventually  he  became  a pupil  of  George  McClellan,  the  brilliant  but  unfor- 
tunate man,  whose  monument  is  Jefferson  Medical  College.  Gross  took  his 
medical  course  at  the  latter  institution  and  graduated  in  1(S28.  He  opened 
an  office  in  Philadelphia  and,  with  nothing  but  time  on  his  hands,  made 
translations  of  European  works  for  Eastern  publishers.  From  the  German 
he  translated  Hildebrand  on  “Typhous  Fever,”  from  the  French  Hatin’s 
Obstetrics,”  Bayle  and  Hollard’s  “Anatomy”  and  Tavernier’s  “Surgery.” 
In  addition  thereto  he  published  an  original  treatise  on  the  anatomy,  physi- 
ology and  the  diseases  of  bones  and  joints.  This  was  the  result  of  work 
done  during  the  first  eighteen  months  of  his  professional  life.  In  1829  he 
had  the  good  fortune  of  becoming  acquainted  with  that  marvel  of  a scientific 
man  and  enthusiast,  John  D.  Godman,  and  helped  him  in  his  translations 
of  German  and  French  works.  Gross  at  that  time  was  distressingly  poor. 
Amid  all  his  work  and  poverty  he  fell  in  love  with  a young  widow  who  had 
one  child.  Gross  married  her  in  short  order,  determined  to  work  and  win. 
She  proved  to  be  a splendid  companion  and  helpmate,  with  whom  he  lived 
in  absolute  happiness  for  nearly  fifty  years.  In  1830  he  moved  to  his  home 
town,  Easton,  where  he  could  live  cheaply  and  expected  to  acquire  a prac- 
tice more  quickly.  While  practicing  at  Easton  he  did  a great  deal  of  orig- 
inal work  in  physiology.  He  studied  the  process  of  absorption  by  experi- 
ments on  animals.  His  investigations  pertaining  to  wounds  of  the  intestines 
were  remarkable,  considering  the  time  at  which  they  were  made.  An  account 
of  them  was  subsequently  published  in  Drake’s  “Western  Journal  of  Med- 
icine and  Surgery”  (1842-43). 

While  Gross  had  been  a student  at  Jefferson,  he  had  become  well  ac- 
quainted with  John  Eberle,  who  taught  materia  medica  at  Jefferson.  Eberle 
had  moved  to  Cincinnati  and  was  a teacher  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 
Gross  yearned  for  a larger  field  of  usefulness,  and  more  particularly  for  a 
chance  to  become  an  anatomist  and  a surgeon.  He  wrote  to  Eberle  and 
asked  him  to  use  his  influence,  should  a vacancy  occur  in  the  Ohio  College. 
Eberle  asked  to  have  Gross  made  demonstrator  of  anatomy  and,  accordingly, 
in  the  Fall  of  1833,  Gross,  with  $237  in  his  pocket  and  accompanied  by  his 
little  family,  consisting  of  wife  and  two  children,  made  the  wearisome 
journey  to  Cincinnati.  In  thirteen  days  he  arrived  and  his  troubles  began. 
Gross  tells  the  story  in  the  following  way : 

“I  had  hardly  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  my  official  duties,  when,  early  one 
morning.  Dr.  T.  D.  Mitchell  called  at  my  lodgings  on  Sixth  Street  and  asked  me 
whether  I had  seen  a certain  article  in  reference  to  myself  in  the  Cincinnati  Gazette, 
adding  that  the  professor  of  anatomy  had  taken  umbrage  at  it,  and  that,  in  consulta- 
tion with  some  of  his  colleagues,  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be 


189 


best,  at  all  events  for  the  present  Winter,  that  I should  not  lecture  in  the  amphi- 
theatre, as  had  been  agreed  upon  when  I accepted  the  office  of  demonstrator  of  anat- 
omy. Upon  inquiring  what  the  offensive  article  was,  for  I had  neither  seen  it  nor 
heard  of  it,  he  informed  me  that  it  was  a complimentary  notice  of  myself,  in  which 
the  writer  congratulated  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  upon  its  acquisition  of  so  able 
an  anatomist,  a kind  of  puff,  intended,  as  the  professor  of  anatomy,  naturally  a very 
jealous  man,  supposed  to  be  a reflection  upon  his  own  ability  as  a teacher.  It  required 
no  consideration  as  to  what  I should  do  on  the  occasion.  I,  therefore,  at  once  said : 
‘If  the  faculty  debar  me  from  lecturing  in  connection  with  practical  anatomy,  as  had 
been  stipulated,  my  only  course  is  to  withdraw  from  the  school  and  get  along  as  best  I 
may.  My  object  in  emigrating  to  the  West,’  I continued,  ‘was  to  qualify  myself  for 
teaching  anatomy,  and  if  this  privilege  be  denied  me,  I shall  be  sadly  disappointed.’ 
Mitchell,  therefore,  went  away,  but  returned  the  same  afternoon  saying  that  the  faculty 
had  decided  to  fit  up  for  me  a lecture  room  in  the  attic  of  the  college,  close  to  the 
dissecting  room.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and  I now  began  in  earnest  to  organize 
the  department,  which,  up  to  that  time,  had  been  shamefully  neglected ; for  upon  my 
arrival  at  Cincinnati  I found  everything  in  the  department  of  practical  anatomy  in  the 
college  in  the  most  miserable  condition.  There  was  not  a table,  not  a bench,  not  a 
wash  basin  in  the  room ; in  short,  nothing  that  denoted  that  any  dissections  had  ever 
been  carried  on  within  its  walls.  Some  students  had  already  assembled,  and  the  session 
was  to  open  in  a few  days.  No  time  was  to  be  lost.  Everything  was  to  be  done,  and 
done  promptly.  Carpenters  were  at  once  procured,  and  in  less  than  a week  my  room 
had  quite  a furnished  appearance.  Out  of  eighty-six  students,  my  class  numbered 
nearly  sixty.  I gave  regularly  three  lectures  a week,  chiefly  on  surgical  and  visceral 
anatomy,  kept  the  rooms  well  supplied  with  subjects,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  study  of  practical  anatomy,  up  to  that  time  a nominal  matter  in  the  Western 
States.  In  the  Spring  and  Autumn  I delivered  private  courses  to  small  classes,  earning 
little  money,  but  heaping  up  valuable  knowledge,  and  acquiring  some  reputation  as  a 
zealous  anatomist  and  as  a respectable  lecturer.” 

In  1835  Gross  became  Drake’s  associate  by  assuming  the  chair  of  patho- 
logical anatomy  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.  When 
the  latter  school  was  abandoned  in  1839,  Gross  found  ample  time  to  pre- 
pare his  “Elements  of  Pathological  Anatomy”  for  publication.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  know  that  the  material  for  this  pioneer  work  was  furnished  by 
the  Cincinnati  slaughter  houses  where  Gross  spent  much  time  in  the  study 
of  animal  tissue.  Of  this  great  work  J.  M.  DaCosta,  in  his  biographic 
sketch  of  Gross,  says : 

“His  ‘Elements  of  Pathological  Anatomy,’  issued  in  1839,  in  two  octavo  volumes 
of  more  than  five  hundred  pages  each,  did  more  to  attract  attention  to  the  subject  than 
anything  that  had  ever  been  done  in  this  country.  The  book,  illustrated  profusely 
with  wood  cuts  and  with  several  colored  engravings,  reached  three  editions.  It  is  a 
mine  of  learning,  and  its  extended  references  make  it  valuable  to  this  day.  Its  merits 
have  been  fully  recognized  abroad ; and  on  no  occasion  more  flattering  than  when  the 
great  pathologist,  Virchow,  at  a dinner  given  to  Doctor  Gross  at  Berlin,  in  1868,  com- 
plimented him  publicly  on  being  the  author,  and,  pointing  to  the  volume,  which  he  laid 
upon  the  table,  gracefully  acknowledged  the  pleasure  and  instruction  which  he  had 
often  gained  from  it.  As  another  acknowledgment  of  its  merits,  we  find  that  soon 
after  the  publication  of  the  second  edition  the  Imperial-Royal  Society  of  Vienna  made 
Doctor  Gross  an  honorary  member.” 


190 


In  1840  Gross  became  professor  of  surgery  in  the  University  of  Louis- 
ville (formerly  Louisville  Medical  Institute)  and  continued  in  this  position 
for  sixteen  years  with  the  exception  of  the  session  1850-’51,  during  which 
he  filled  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  University  of  New  York  as  the  suc- 
cessor of  Valentine  Mott.  At  the  end  of  this  session  he  was  so  homesick 
for  his  old  Kentucky  home  that  he  resigned  his  New  York  position  and  re- 
turned to  the  land  of  the  blue  grass. 

In  1851  he  published  his  treatise  on  the  “Diseases  of  the  Urinary  Or- 
gans.” Three  years  later  he  issued  his  work  on  “Foreign  Bodies  in  the 
Air  Passages”  of  which  Morell  Mackenzie  said  almost  forty  years  later  that 
it  is  “a  classic  and  can  not  be  improved  upon.”  During  his  stay  in  Louis- 
ville Gross  wrote  two  biographical  sketches  of  great  merit  and  value,  one 
of  Daniel  Drake  and  one  of  Ephraim  McDowell.  For  Drake  Gross  had 
unbounded  admiration.  He  places  him  at  the  side  of  Benjamin  Rush. 

In  1856  Gross  went  to  Philadelphia  and  became  professor  of  surgery  at 
Jefferson.  When  in  1875  Gross  attended  the  meeting  of  the  American  Med- 
ical Association  in  Louisville,  he  was  the  recipient  of  royal  honors.  In  1879 
he  delivered  the  memorial  address  at  the  dedication  of  the  McDowell  monu- 
ment in  Danville,  Ky.,  and  was  received  with  demonstrations  of  such  love 
and  enthusiasm  as  can  only  be  found  in  the  hearts  of  the  noble  people  that 
gave  the  Nation  such  men  as  Henry  Clay,  Daniel  Drake  and  Ephraim  Mc- 
Dowell. 

In  Philadelphia  Gross  began  the  preparation  of  his  monumental  “System 
of  Surgery.”  The  first  edition  appeared  in  1859.  In  1861  he  issued  a 
“Manual  of  Military  Surgery”  and  also  a biographical  volume  entitled  “The 
Lives  of  Eminent  American  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century”  to  which  he  contributed  sketches  of  Drake,  McDowell  and  J.  S. 
Dorsey.  In  1882  Gross  resigned  his  chair  at  Jefferson.  His  health  had  been 
failing  for  some  time.  He  died  May  6,  1884,  at  the  time  of  his  death  ad- 
mittedly the  greatest  figure  in  American  surgery.  No  American  physician 
has  ever  been  honored  in  Europe  like  S.  D.  Gross.  He  visited  Europe  sev- 
eral times  and  everywhere  the  princes  of  intellect,  the  mighty  ones  in  the 
realm  of  science,  vied  with  each  other  to  do  him  honor.  Gross’s  personality 
is  beautifully  portrayed  by  Isaac  M.  Hays  who  says  that  “his  majestic  form 
and  dignified  presence,  his  broad  brow  and  intelligent  eye,  his  deep,  mellow 
voice,  and  benignant  smile,  his  genial  manner  and  cordial  greeting,  remain 
indelibly  impressed  upon  the  memory  of  all  who  knew  him.”  Gross  was  a 
man  of  warm,  human  impulses,  strong  in  his  affection,  pure  in  his  ideals, 
fond  of  the  young  men  in  the  profession  to  whom  he  was  the  living  illus- 
tration of  his  two  famous  sayings : “Once  a student,  always  a student”  and 
“It  is  better  to  wear  out  than  to  rust  out !”  His  Autobiography  was  pub- 
lished by  his  family  in  1887. 

Gross’s  greatest  work  as  a pioneer  in  medicine  was  done  in  Cincinnati. 
He  was  the  first  man  in  this  country  who  practiced  systematic  dissection 


191 


and  made  close  examination  of  pathological  specimens.  He  was  so  thor- 
oughly imbued  with  the  importance  of  this  kind  of  work  that  he  induced 
Drake  to  recognize  pathological  anatomy  by  the  establishment  of  a special 
chair  in  the  Cincinnati  College  which  was  the  first  chair  of  this  kind  in  this 
country,  Gross  being  its  first  incumbent. 

Gross  never  forgot  the  treatment  he  received  at  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  when  he  arrived  in  1833.  The  men  who  composed  the  faculty  and  who 
sent  him  to  the  garret  to  teach  instead  of  offering  him  free  access  to  the 
amphitheatre,  were,  according  to  his  statement,  ‘'mostly  weak,  selfish,  nar- 
row-minded men,  with  moderate  scientific  attainments  and  little  ability  as 
teachers.”  I am  inclined  to  think  that  the  man  whose  vanity  was  hurt  by 
the  newspaper-squib  about  Gross  was  not  Jedediah  Cobb,  but  Thomas  D. 
Mitchell.  The  latter  was  the  dean  and  very  jealous  of  his  prominent  posi- 
tion. He  used  Cobb  as  a catspaw  in  order  to  vent  the  ire  of  his  own  small 
and  jealous  soul.  Gross  always  had  a high  regard  for  Cobb  both  as  a man 
and  as  a physician.  The  best  sketch  of  Cobb’s  life  was  written  by  Gross. 

Gross  during  his  life  was  distinctly  the  type  of  the  “beloved  physician.” 
His  popularity  in  the  profession  was  unparalleled.  To  posterity  he  should 
be  known  as  the  “man  of  ceaseless  toil.”  An  idea  of  his  capacity  for  work 
can  be  gotten  from  a perusal  of  the  list  of  his  contributions  to  the  literature 
of  the  profession.  The  immensity  of  his  labors  in  this  regard  entitle  him 
to  the  suggestive  appellation  of  the  “American  Virchow.” 

JOSEPH  NASH  McDowell  was  the  scion  of  a distinguished  Virginia 
family  that  had  given  a governor  and  other  men  of  eminence  to  the  State. 
His  parents  had  moved  to  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  there  he  was  born  in  1803. 
He  received  a splendid  literary  and  medical  education  in  his  native  town, 
which  during  the  first  three  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  not  in- 
appropriately called  the  Athens  of  the  West.  Transylvania  University  with 
its  corps  of  able  and  famous  teachers  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  great  seats 
of  learning  on  the  Western  Continent.  Young  McDowell  became  a student 
of  medicine  in  Transylvania  University  about  the  time  when  Daniel  Drake, 
after  the  latter’s  forced  resignation  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was 
appointed  a professor  in  the  Lexington  school.  McDowell  graduated  in  1825 
and  subsequently  took  a course  in  Philadelphia.  He  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  anatomy  and  gained  such  a reputation  as  an  anatomist  and  a teacher 
that  his  Alma  Mater  was  glad  to  offer  him  the  chair  of  anatomy  which  he 
held  for  one  year.  In  Philadelphia  his  knowledge  of  anatomy  attracted  at- 
tention and  led  to  his  appointment  as  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  newly 
founded  Jefferson  Medical  College.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the 
fame  of  the  great  Ephraim  McDowell  did  much  to  introduce  Joseph  Nash 
McDowell,  who  was  his  nephew.  After  lecturing  in  Philadelphia  during 
one  session,  J.  N.  McDowell  returned  to  the  West  and  settled  down  near 
Lexington  where  he  married  the  girl  who  had  been  his  playmate  and  sweet- 


192 


heart  when  he  was  a young  boy,  Amanda  Virginia  Drake,  the  sister  of  his 
teacher,  Daniel  Drake.  When  the  “War  of  Extermination”  began  in  1835, 
McDowell  was  on  hand  to  help  his  brother-in-law  in  the  latter’s  fight  against 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  became  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  and  remained  at  his  post  until  the 
abandonment  of  the  institution  in  1839. 

The  often  discussed  problem  of  genius  as  a species  of  insanity  found  a 
lifelong  illustration  in  the  career  of  this  singularly  gifted  but  thoroughly  er- 
ratic man.  McDowell  was  the  idol  of  his  classes  because  he  had  wonderful 
power  of  entertaining  and  amusing  them.  As  an  anatomist  he  was  the 
formidable  rival  of  Jedediah  Cobb.  Samuel  D.  Gross  refers  to  McDowell’s 
great  ability  as  a demonstrator  of  and  lecturer  on  anatomy.  Doctor  Armor, 
for  several  years  a professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  a pupil  of 
McDowell  and  often  spoke  of  the  latter’s  marvelous  eloquence  which  “made 
even  the  dry  bones  talk.”  In  fighting  the  Ohio  College  McDowell  shrank 
from  the  use  of  no  weapon  however  questionable.  He  left  the  argumentative 
part  of  the  embroglio  to  Drake  while  he  devoted  himself  to  a sort  of  guerilla- 
campaign  against  the  Ohio  College,  attacking  the  professors  of  the  latter  at 
all  times  in  unmeasured  terms  of  abuse  and  vilification.  His  public  declara- 
tion : “Give  me  one  year’s  time  and  I will  blow  the  d Ohio  College  to 

hell !”  was  a byword  in  Cincinnati  for  many  years.  This  manner  of  fighting 
made  him  a much-dreaded  antagonist.  He  was  intensely  jealous  and  in 
moods,  created  by  attacks  of  jealousy,  he  would  spare  neither  friend  nor  foe., 
No  man  ever 'had  a viler  tongue.  He  never  hesitated  to  discuss  his  griev- 
ances before  the  class,  heaping  abuse  on  and  applying  the  vilest  epithets  to 
anyone  who  had  happened  to  arouse  his  ire.  In  his  calmer  moods  he  was  the 
most  lovable  of  men,  ready  to  sacrifice  himself  for  his  friends.  His  devotion 
to  his  family  was  the  talk  of  the  town. 

Thus  McDowell’s  character  was  a mixture  of  commendable  attributes  and 
most  detestable  traits.  In  his  dealings  with  the  students  he  often  lost  sight 
of  the  fact  that  intimacy  breeds  contempt.  He  would  go  fishing  and  hunting 
with  them  and  thought  nothing  of  borrowing  money  from  them.  He  was 
very  superstitious  and  could  not  be  induced  to  lecture  on  Friday.  He  was 
ready  for  two  or  three  lectures  on  any  other  day.  He  had  a mortal  fear  of 
thunderstorms  and  buried  himself  in  feather  beds  to  keep  from  being  struck  by 
lightning.  On  one  occasion  he  boasted  of  his  skill  at  target  shooting.  Some 
of  the  students  arranged  to  give  him  a chance  to  show  his  aptness  and  fixed  a 
target  on  a plank.  Behind  the  plank  they  placed  a man  who  was  instructed 
to  scream  and  pretend  to  be  mortally  hurt  as  soon  as  McDowell  fired  the 
pistol.  McDowell  was  frightened  out  of  his  wits  when  he  heard  the  scream 
and  saw  the  man  fall.  He  started  for  a boat  to  leave  the  town  in  order  to 
escape  the  consequences  of  his  shooting.  At  the  last  moment  the  joke  was 
revealed  to  him.  He  was  overjoyed  and  repeatedly  embraced  the  man  whom 
he  thought  he  had  killed. 


193 


After  the  dissolution  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege, McDowell  went  to  St.  Louis  and  started  the  Missouri  Medical  College 
which  was  known  as  “McDowell’s  College”  and  for  a number  of  years  was 
affiliated  with  the  Missouri  State  University.  From  1840  to  1860  McDowell 
had  a tremendous  surgical  practice.  His  fame  extended  from  the  Alleghenies 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  was  a much  sought-after  public  speaker.  Like 
his  silver-tongued  brother-in-law,  Drake,  he  was  always  ready  for  a speech. 
On  one  occasion  he  delivered  a temperance  speech  before  an  immense  con- 
course of  people.  Every  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  he  poured  out  a quantity  of 
whiskey,  mixed  it  with  water  and  refreshed  himself.  He  seemed  to  be  totally 
oblivious  to  the  humor  of  the  occasion. 

In  1861  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  South  and,  accompanied  by  many 
of  his  students  and  colleagues,  left  for  the  Southern  battlefields.  He  brought 
with  him  six  cannons,  750  muskets  and  other  munitions  of  war  which  he 
purchased  to  help  the  cause  of  the  South.  He  stood  very  high  in  the  councils 
of  the  Confederacy.  In  1862  he  was  sent  to  Europe  as  an  Emissary  of  the 
Confederacy.  After  the  termination  of  the  war  he  returned  to  St.  Louis  and 
reopened  his  medical  college.  He  died  in  1868,  leaving  behind  him  a record 
of  unparalleled  eccentricity.  That  he  was  a man  of  genius,  can  not  be  doubted. 
Gross  admits  it  and  Henry  Clay  who  knew  McDowell  well,  once  said  that 
there  never  was  a greater  mind  than  McDowell’s  and  one  so  totally  disabled 
by  eccentricities.  In  the  annals  of  Western  medicine  his  name  occupies  a 
conspicuous  place.  He  was  vice-president  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion from  1860  to  1863. 

HORATIO  G.  JAMESON  was  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati 
College,  holding  the  chair  for  one  term  (October,  1835,  to  March,  1836). 
He  was  born  in  1778  in  York,  Pa.,  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  as  a student- 
apprentice  in  his  father’s  office  when  he  was  not  more  than  fifteen  years  old 
and  located  successively  in  West  Virginia,  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  In 
1810  he  moved  to  Baltimore  and  attended  lectures  at  the  University  of  Mary- 
land where  he  graduated  in  1813.  He  soon  acquired  a great  reputation  as  a 
surgeon,  and,  being  energetic  and  ambitious,  aspired  to  a position  on  the 
stafif  of  the  University  of  Maryland  where  he  would  have  the  opportunity  to 
display  his  talents  as  a surgeon  and  teacher.  Some  of  the  men  connected  with 
the  University  were  jealous  of  his  rapidly  gained  reputation  and  prevented 
his  appointment.  Thereupon  (1827)  he  combined  with  a number  of  able  men 
and  founded  Washington  Medical  College  in  Baltimore.  This  precipitated  a 
long  and  bitter  controversy  between  the  different  factions,  Jameson  being  made 
the  target  of  numberless  open  and  anonymous  attacks  in  and  out  of  the  pro- 
fession. Jameson  in  1828  brought  an  action  against  one  of  his  bitterest 
antagonists  for  defamation  of  character.  This  trial  attracted  attention  all 
over  the  country.  It  was  one  of  the  most  sensational  episodes  in  the  medical 
annals  of  this  country  and  resulted  in  Jameson’s  complete  vindication.  His 


194 


fame  as  a bold  operator  and  brilliant  lecturer  spread  all  over  this  country. 
In  1829  he  founded  the  “Maryland  Medical  Recorder,”  for  three  years  one 
of  the  strongest  and  most  influential  medical  publications  in  the  United  States. 
In  1830  he  appeared  by  invitation  before  the  Society  of  German  Naturalists 
in  Hamburg,  being  the  first  American  who  was  ever  thus  honored.  He  trav- 
eled extensively  in  Europe,  receiving  marked  attentions  from  many  of  the 
foremost  surgeons  of  the  Old  World.  After  his  return  he  gave  much  of  his 
time  and  attention  to  questions  of  sanitation  and  public  hygiene,  with  special 
reference  to  the  prophylaxis  of  cholera,  yellow  fever  and  smallpox.  In  1835 
he  became  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati  College  and  attracted  much 
attention  on  account  of  his  eloquence  as  a teacher  of  surgery.  The  failing 
health  of  his  wife  prompted  him  to  resign  his  chair  at  the  end  of  the  term 
and  return  to  Baltimore.  The  statement  made  by  Gross  that  Jameson  did  not 
give  satisfaction  in  Cincinnati  and  was  practically  dismissed  at  the  end  of 
the  term,  is  not  borne  out  by  other  contemporaries.  After  his  return  East  he 
lived  in  Baltimore,  afterwards  in  York,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York.  He 
died  in  1855. 

In  1817  he  published  a booklet  on  “Eevers”  and  a book  of  161  pages  on 
“Domestic  Medicine.”  Some  of  his  best  known  papers  were  “The  Surgical 
Anatomy  of  the  Neck,”  “Traumatic  Hemorrhage,”  “Anatomy  of  the  Parts 
Concerned  in  Lithotomy,”  etc.  His  operative  work  was  brilliant  and  epoch- 
making.  On  November  11,  1820,  he  performed  extirpation  of  the  upper  jaw 
for  the  first  time  in  this  country  after  preliminary  ligation  of  the  carotid 
artery.  In  1821  he  ligated  the  external  iliac  artery  for  aneurism,  in  1822  he 
made  a successful  tracheotomy  for  the  removal  of  a watermelon  seed  from 
the  windpipe.  His  surgical  record  comprises  many  important  ligations,  radical 
cure  of  hernia,  stone  operations,  etc.  He  was  the  first  in  England  and  America 
who  amputated  the  cervix  for  scirrhus  (1821).  This  operation  was  the  third 
of  its  kind  on  record,  two  similar  cases  having  previously  occurred  in  Erance 
and  Germany.  He  was  the  first  American  who  used  animal  ligatures  and 
proved  their  superiority  by  many  experiments  on  animals.  As  a medical  re- 
viewer, critic  and  bibliographer  he  occupied  a most  conspicuous  place  for 
more  than  thirty  years.  There  is  no  question  that  Horatio  G.  Jameson  was 
deservedly  one  of  the  most  eminent  medical  men  of  his  time.  He  was  a 
forceful  writer,  a brilliant  surgeon,  possessing  much  originality,  and  a schol- 
arly medical  teacher.  Jameson’s  libel  suit  against  his  adversaries  was  written 
up  in  the  “American  Medical  Recorder,”  January,  1829.  It  is  a characteristic 
story  of  a quarrel  among  medical  men  and  shows  to  what  depths  of  moral 
turpitude,  cowardly  and  foul  aspersion  and  incredible  cruelty  human  nature 
will  descend  when  spurred  on  by  the  sting  of  jealousy,  malice  and  unfair  pro- 
fessional rivalry.  It  seems  that  human  nature,  after  all,  was  the  same  in  the 
days  of  the  crude  pioneers,  as  it  is  in  these  more  advanced  and  refined  times  of 
ethical  culture. 


195 


JOHN  P.  HARRISON,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  practitioners  and 
professors  of  medicine  that  have  graced  the  profession  of  Cincinnati,  hailed 
from  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  was  born  in  1796.  He  received  his  preliminary 
education  in  his  home  town  but  went  to  Philadelphia  to  study  medicine.  He 
became  the  private  pupil  of  Nathaniel  Chapman,  the  renowned  medical  author 
and  founder  of  the  “American  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences,”  and  attended 
lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  graduated  in  medicine  in 
1819.  He  returned  to  Louisville  and  began  to  practice.  He  soon  became  one 
of  the  most  successful  physicians.  He  was  ambitious  to  make  a name  for 
himself  as  a medical  teacher  and  author  and  decided,  in  1834,  to  remove  to 
Philadelphia  and  apply  for  a position  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania.  Drake  who  was  organizing  the  Medical  Department 


John  P.  Harrison 


of  the  Cincinnati  College,  wrote  him  to  come  to  Cincinnati  and  assume  charge 
of  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the  Cincinnati  College.  Harrison  accepted 
the  appointment,  and  in  1835  came  to  Cincinnati.  He  and  L.  C.  Rives  were 
the  only  two  of  the  professors  of  Drake’s  College  who  remained  in  Cincinnati 
when  the  school  was  abandoned  in  1839.  Two  years  later  (1841)  he  entered 
the  faculty  of  the  Ohio  College  as  professor  of  materia  medica.  With  the 
exception  of  two  sessions  (1847-’48  and  1848-’49)  he  retained  his  chair. 
During  the  two  sessions  named  he  taught  theory  and  practice.  He  died  of 
cholera  in  1849,  as  J.  T.  Whittaker  says  of  him : “Like  a soldier  in  the  line 
of  duty  with  his  face  to  the  foe.” 

John  P.  Harrison  was  personally  one  of  the  most  amiable  of  men,  a gen- 
tleman by  nature  and  cultivation.  He  was  a handsome  man,  straight  and 
erect,  with  a fine  intellectual  countenance  which  in  his  youth  resembled  that 
of  Robert  Burns.  He  was  scrupulously  clean  and  orderly  in  his  appearance 
and  in  his  habits,  well  groomed  and  refined.  His  office  was  a model  of  order 
and  system.  Even  the  appearance  of  his  horse  and  carriage  showed  the  sense 

196 


of  neatness  of  their  owner.  In  his  lectures  and  essays  he  was  thoroughly 
systematic  and  scrupulously  attentive  to  details.  He  had  a fervent  tempera- 
ment which  quickly  communicated  itself  to  his  listeners.  His  manner  of 
delivery,  in  moments  of  inspiration,  was  quick  and  impulsive.  His  voice  was 
high-pitched  and  aglow  with  feeling.  In  his  statements  he  was  bold,  positive, 
aggressive  and  even  defiant.  He  never  failed  to  impress,  arouse,  inspire  and 
electrify  his  audience.  In  his  writings  he  was  polished  and  elegant.  What  he 
said  was  clear-cut  and  exact,  his  phraseology  pleasing  and  often  suggestive 
of  the  poet  rather  than  the  medical  philosopher.  In  his  makeup  he  was  the 
opposite  of  his  famous  predecessor,  John  Eberle.  The  latter  was  slow  and 
deliberate,  Harrison  was  quick  and  dashing.  Eberle  presented  facts  in  a cool 
and  practical  manner,  Harrison  paraphrased  them  in  his  characteristic  fervent 
style.  Eberle  was  a realist,  Harrison  was  enthroned  in  a realm  of  ideas. 
Eberle  was  satisfied  to  let  the  subject  carry  him;  Harrison  carried  his  subject 
victoriously  to  the  final  issue.  The  two  men  were  totally  unlike.  In  Eberle’s 
writings  the  subject  retained  its  full  value  even  without  the  personality  of  the 
lecturer.  In  Harrison’s  writings  the  absence  of  the  personal  equation,  of  the 
fervent  manner  and  the  inspiring  presence  of  the  author  left  the  subject  bare 
and  cold.  This  explains  the  singular  fact  that  his  two  volume  work  on  “Ma- 
teria Medica”  was  a total  failure.  Harrison’s  success  as  a teacher  was  the 
output  of  his  brilliant  and  seductive  personality.  In  this  respect  he  resembled 
his  great  successor  of  recent  years,  Jas.  T.  Whittaker,  who  was  a magician 
only  when  he  could  be  seen  and  heard.  Harrison  contributed  many  short 
papers  on  a variety  of  subjects  to  the  contemporaneous  medical  press.  He 
published  a booklet  “Essays  and  Lectures”  which  are  readable.  Some  of  his 
addresses  delivered  before  the  medical  classes  on  special  occasions  are  worth 
perusal.  A few  quotations  will  serve  to  illustrate  Harrison’s  character  as  a 
medical  man. 

In  discussing  the  objects  of  medical  societies,  Harrison  said  before  the 
Medical  Convention  of  Ohio  May  28,  1844: 

“Gentlemen — The  science  of  medicine  has  been  greatly  indebted  for  its  adv^ancement 
to  that  liberal  spirit  which  binds  men  together  in  consentient  effort  to  promote  each 
others  improvement.  This  social  kindliness  belongs  to  man  in  all  the  phases  of  his 
being;  it  is  exhibited  by  the  child  in  the  thoughtless  gaities  of  its  existence;  it  is  seen 
in  the  various  combinations  of  political  partisanship,  and  with  controlling  influence  it 
mingles  with  the  adorations  which  the  frail  children  of  earth  pay  to  their  supreme  and 
universal  Father.  It  is  this  spirit  of  social  sympathy  operating  upon  our  professional 
views  and  interests,  which  has  called  us  together  this  day.” 

Harrison’s  suggestions  for  the  removal  of  pessimism  and  malcontent  from 
the  ranks  of  the  profession  are : 

“1.  A diligent  study  of  the  science  of  medicine.  2.  A determined  will  to  become 
eminently  useful  in  the  profession.  3.  An  earnest  interest  in  the  progress  of  medicine. 
4.  The  cultivation  of  a benevolent  regard  for  the  sick,  5.  A dignified  self-respect.  6. 
A high  conception  of  the  moral  and  intellectual  excellence  of  the  profession ; and  a 
firm  belief  in  the  guardian  care  of  Heaven,” 


197 


In  his  Introductory  Lecture  before  the  class  delivered  November  3,  1847, 
Harrison  pleads  for  better  preliminary  training  of  medical  students.  He  says 
that  a classical  education  should  be  required  of  every  student  of  medicine. 
Harrison’s  discourse  on  “The  Responsibilities  of  the  Medical  Profession,” 
delivered  in  the  Louisville  Hospital,  August  27,  1831,  could  be  profitably  read 
by  every  doctor  and  student  of  medicine  today.  It  is  a veritable  apotheosis 
of  truth  and  noblesse  in  medicine. 

During  his  connection  with  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege Harrison  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  “Western  Journal  of  Medicine.” 
In  1847  he  became  one  of  the  associate  editors  of  the  “Western  Lancet.” 
Harrison  was  president  of  the  Medical  Convention  of  Ohio  in  1843,  chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Medical  Literature  in  the  American  Medical  Association 
in  Baltimore  in  1848.  The  following  year  at  the  meeting  in  Boston  he  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 

In  therapeutics  Harrison  was  an  advocate  of  what  was  at  that  time  called 
“solidism.”  It  was  thought  that  drugs  were  absorbed  cn  masse  and  produced 
their  effect  directly  on  certain  organs  and  tissues.  The  blood  and  nervous 
system  do  not  figure  at  all.  This  was  Galen’s  idea,  revived  and  modernized  by 
Friedrich  Hoffmann,  professor  in  Halle  about  1700,  who  is  the  founder  of  the 
solidistic  school  of  therapeutics.  His  name  is  perpetuated  by  “Hoffmann’s 
Anodyne.”  Harrison  in  adopting  the  theory  of  solidism  retrogressed  consid- 
erably because  his  famous  predecessors,  John  Eberle  and  James  C.  Cross, 
were  only  conditional  solidists.  Eberle  taught  the  physiological  action  of 
some  drugs  and  indulged  in  very  clever  speculation  concerning  the  function 
of  the  blood  and  nervous  system  in  connection  with  drug  action.  Harrison’s 
retrogression  to  the  solidism  of  the  eighteenth  century  probably  contributed 
considerably  to  the  failure  of  his  book  on  “Therapeutics.”  In  addition  to  this, 
Harrison  was  never  original.  He  reproduced  splendidly,  but  could  not  pro- 
duce. Old  Nathaniel  Chapman  had  framed  Harrison’s  mind.  Chapman’s 
curious  ideas  about  materia  medica  were  a part  of  the  therapeutic  gospel  which 
Harrison  expounded.  In  his  youth  Harrison  was  a great  admirer  of  Charles 
Caldwell,  of  Transylvania  fame,  who  had  the  faculty  of  using  more  words  to 
say  nothing  than  any  other  American  medical  writer  of  the  last  century. 
Caldwell  was  distinctly  a man  of  prejudices,  very  voluble  and  witk  a mar- 
velous facility  for  eloquently  getting  away  from  any  subject  he  was  discussing. 
The  influence  of  this  man  on  Harrison’s  impressionable  and  strongly  imitative 
temperament  was  not  beneficial.  Harrison  became  a hidebound  solidist  and 
with  all  his  ardor  and  systematic  mind  advocated  a dead  issue  in  medicine 
all  his  life. 

LANDON  C.  RIVES  was  born  in  Nelson  County,  Virginia,  in  1790.  His 
family  were  cultured  and  educated  people  who  gave  young  Rives  all  the  oppor- 
tunities for  acquiring  a good  preliminary  education.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  graduated  from  William  and  Mary  College  in  his  native  State  and  entered 


198 


the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  to  study  medicine. 
He  graduated  with  high  honors  in  1821,  whereupon  he  returned  to  his  native 
county  and  practiced  his  profession  for  eight  years.  In  1829  he  moved  to 
Cincinnati  and,  owing  to  the  polish  and  urbanity  of  his  manners,  he  soon 
became  a very  popular  physician.  When  Drake  organized  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Cincinnati  College,  he  offered  the  chair  of  obstetrics  to  Rives. 
The  latter  accepted  the  proffered  professorship  and  remained  with  the  school 
until  its  dissolution  in  1839.  His  popularity  as  a refined  and  scholarly  gen- 
tleman made  him  a tower  of  strength  in  the  defense  and  support  of  “Drake’s 
College,”  as  the  institution  was  generally  called.  Professionally  he  was  prob- 
ably the  weakest  of  that  faculty  of  giants.  This  was  not  due  to  a lack  of 
scholarship  or  intellectual  strength.  These  he  possessed  but  he  lacked  in- 
dustry, that  indispensable  factor  in  the  makeup  of  a successful  teacher.  He 
was  satisfied  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  chair  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
Beyond  that  he  had  no  ambition.  Surrounded  as  he  was  by  men  of  tre- 
mendous ability  who  were  working  day  and  night  for  the  good  of  the  school 
and  their  own  professional  advancement,  his  lack  of  industry  became  much 
more  a subject  of  comment.  In  addition  to  this  he  was  not  fond  of  writing, 
quite  the  opposite  of  Drake,  Gross  and  Harrison  whose  great  reputation  was 
largely  made  with  the  pen.  With  the  exception  of  a few  short  papers  which 
he  contributed  to  the  contemporary  medical  press.  Rives  has  left  no  specimen 
of  his  authorship.  After  the  downfall  of  Drake’s  school  Rives  continued  in 
practice  in  Cincinnati,  commanding  the  patronage  of  the  best  people  of  the 
city.  In  1849  he  was  asked  to  fill  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  made  vacant  by  the  sudden  death  of  John  P.  Harrison.  The 
following  year  the  chair  of  obstetrics  was  assigned  to  him  after  the  expulsion 
of  M.  B.  Wright,  Thos.  O.  Edwards  taking  the  chair  of  materia  medica. 
Rives  who  was  by  nature  a man  of  fine  instincts  and  feelings,  severed  his 
connection  with  the  turbulent  Ohio  College.  During  the  term  1853-’54  he 
lectured  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  on  surgical  and 
pathological  anatomy.  He  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  term.  He  continued 
until  the  time  of  his  death  (1870)  to  be  one  of  the  foremost  and  most  gen- 
erally respected  physicians  in  the  Middle  West.  He  was  the  father  of  Edward 
Rives  and  the  grand  uncle  of  Landon  Longworth,  both  subsequently  connected 
with  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  A brother  of  Dr.  Rives, 
William  C.  Rives,  gained  distinction  in  the  diplomatic  service  as  minister  of 
the  United  States  to  the  Court  of  Erance. 

WILLARD  PARKER,  who  during  a long  and  extremely  useful  life,  rose 
to  one  of  the  highest  places  among  American  surgeons,  practically  began  his 
career  as  a surgeon  and  teacher  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
Cincinnati  College  and  can,  therefore,  aptly  be  considered  a product  of  the 
West  and  more  especially  of  Cincinnati.  He  came  from  splendid  revolutionary 
stock.  He  was  born  in  Hillsboro,  N.  H.,  in  1800,  and  grew  up  on  a farm  near 


199 


Chelmsford,  Mass.,  where  his  father  had  settled  when  the  boy  was  five  years 
old.  Young  Parker  received  his  literary  and  medical  education  at  Plarvard 
where  he  became  the  devoted  friend  and  pupil  of  John  C.  Warren,  of  Boston, 
that  brilliant  and  versatile  surgeon.  Through  Warren’s  example  and  influ- 
ence Parker  became  fond  of  surgery.  He  was  the  first  interne  in  the  newly 
founded  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  after  he  had  served  two  years  as 
house  surgeon  in  the  United  States  Marine  Hospital  at  Chelsea.  He  was 
twenty-six  years  old  when  he  took  his  degree  of  B.A.,  was  interne  in  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  from  1828-’29  and  graduated  in  medicine  in 
1830  from  the  Harvard  School.  As  a student  of  medicine  he  had  a reputa- 
tion for  his  anatomical  knowledge  and  delivered  a course  of  lectures  on 
anatomy  in  the  medical  school  at  Woodstock,  Vt.  In  1830  he  was  made  pro- 
fessor of  anatomy  in  Berkshire  Medical  College,  of  Pittsfield,  Mass.  When  a 
vacancy  occurred  in  the  chair  of  surgery,  Parker  was  appointed  to  fill  it.  In 
1835  he  went  to  Europe  for  study  and  to  recuperate  his  health.  In  1836  he 
accepted  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati  College,  and  thus  became  the 
successor  of  Horatio  B.  Jameson  who  had  returned  East  after  the  first  session 
of  the  school.  Parker’s  record  as  a surgeon  and  teacher  was  in  keeping  with 
the  work  done  by  his  brilliant  colleagues  in  the  other  chairs,  Drake,  Gross,  etc. 
He  was  a dashing  and  fearless  operator  and  an  eloquent  and  scholarly  lec- 
turer. His  competitor  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during  the  first  session 
was  Alban  G.  Smith  (Goldsmith)  who,  while  not  without  ability,  seemed  to 
make  no  impression  as  a surgeon.  He  was  at  that  time  probably  too  busy 
with  medical  politics  to  pay  much 'attention  to  the  scientific  requirements  of 
his  chair.  His  record  in  Cincinnati  is  referred  to  elsewhere.  He  was  no 
match  for  the  brilliant  Parker  who  was  much  devoted  to  surgical  science  and 
never  missed  an  opportunity  to  place  himself  prominently  before  the  profes- 
sion. He  wrote  a good  deal  for  the  medical  journals,  was  a faithful  attendant 
at  the  meetings  of  medical  societies,  and,  as  a result  of  his  activity,  was  soon 
among  the  best  known  surgeons  in  this  part  of  the  West,  even  rivalling  the 
great  Mussey  who  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1837.  Parker’s  health  failed  about 
the  time  of  the  dissolution  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege and  he  decided  to  return  East  where  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  had  been  offered  him.  In  accepting 
the  offer  he,  strangely  enough,  became  the  successor  of  his  old  rival  A.  G. 
Smith  who  after  leaving  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  had  become  professor 
of  surgery  in  the  New  York  school.  Parker  held  this  chair  for  thirty  years 
and  was  admittedly  one  of  the  great  American  teachers  of  surgery.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  he  was  the  preceptor  of  that  prince  of  Western  surgeons, 
G.  C.  Blackman.  Parker  was  the  founder  of  the  first  surgical  college  clinic 
in  this  country  (1837)  which  he  opened  in  conjunction  with  his  work  in  the 
Cincinnati  College.  In  1845  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  Bellevue  Hospital, 
in  1856  surgeon  to  the  New  York  Hospital  and  in  1865  president  of  the  New 
York  State  Asylum  for  Inebriates,  in  the  latter  position'  succeeding  the  dis- 

200 


tinguislied  Valentine  Mott.  Parker,  like  most  of  the  great  physicians  of  the 
early  times  in  this  country  (Drake,  Mussey,  etc.),  was  a practical  student  of 
the  alcohol  problem  and  accepted  the  above  appointment  because  he  saw  great 
opportunities  for  doing  humanitarian  work.  In  1870  Parker  resigned  his 
chair  and  became  clinical  professor  of  surgery,  serving  at  the  same  time  as 
consulting  surgeon  in  nearly  every  New  York  hospital  of  any  prominence. 
He  was  personally  an  immensely  popular  man.  His  appearance  at  meetings 
of  medical  societies,  especially  towards  the  end  of  his  life,  was  always  the 
occasion  of  a demonstration.  Pie  was  a large,  handsome  man,  graceful  and 
dignified  in  his  conduct.  He  died  in  1884  in  New  York. 

His  contributions  to  surgery  were  numerous  and  valuable.  He  was  the 
first  man  in  this  country  who  wrote  on  the  surgical  treatment  of  appendicitis 
(1867).  His  classical  treatises  on  “Concussion,”  “Cystotomy  for  the  Relief 
of  Cystitis,”  and  “A  New  Operation  for  Lacerated  Perineum”  made  a deep 
impression  in  Europe. 

In  1870  Princeton  made  him  an  LL.D.  Many  foreign  and  American 
scientific  bodies  elected  him  to  honorary  membership.  The  “Willard  Parker 
Hospital  for  Contagious  Diseases”  (New  York)  perpetuates  the  memory  of 
this  distinguished  pioneer  of  surgical  science. 

JAMES  B.  ROGERS  was  a member  of  a most  extraordinary  family  of 
scientists  and  naturalists.  His  father  was  Dr.  Patrick  Kerr  Rogers,  a Scotch- 
Irishman,  who  came  to  this  country  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury and  in  1802  graduated  in  medicine  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
the  same  year  his  son  James  was  born.  Doctor  Rogers,  Sr.,  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Baltimore  and  gave  his  son  the  best  educational  advantages.  In 
1819  James  entered  William  and  Mary  College  in  Virginia,  where  his  father  had 
become  the  professor  of  natural  philosophy.  In  1821  Janies  began  his  medical 
studies  in  the  University  of  Maryland  and  took  his  degree  in  1822.  During 
his  student  days  he  became  well  acquainted  with  Horatio  G.  Jameson  who 
offered  him  a few  years  later  the  chair  of  chemistry  in  Washington  Medical 
College.  Rogers  had  begun  to  practice  medicine  but  abandoned  it  to  accept  a 
much  more  congenial  occupation,  that  of  superintendent  of  the  Chemical 
Works  of  Tyson  and  Ellicott  in  Baltimore.  In  1835  Rogers  came  to  Cin- 
cinnati in  response  to  the  invitation  of  Daniel  Drake  who  was  anxious  to  fill 
the  chairs  in  his  new  school  with  the  best  men  obtainable.  In  Cincinnati 
Rogers  met  his  old  friend  Jameson  who  had  accepted  the  chair  of  surgery  in 
Daniel  Drake’s  College.  Rogers  in  the  chair  of  chemistry  was  a revelation. 
To  his  youthful  enthusiasm  and  brilliant  scholarship  he  added  a personality 
of  great  force  and  the  sort  of  eloquence  that  could  made  even  as  dry  a sub- 
ject as  chemistry  interesting  and  fascinating.  Rogers  rivalled  Drake  and 
McDowell  who  were  the  acknowledged  orators  in  the  school.  Strangely 
enough,  Rogers  ten  years  previously  had  refused  the  chair  of  chemistry  in 
Washington  Medical  College  in  Baltimore,  giving  as  a reason  his  total  unfit- 


201 


ness  for  a lecturer’s  chair.  He  felt  embarrassed  and  timid  before  the  class, 
could  not  speak  coherently  and,  for  this  reason,  declined  Jameson’s  offer. 
Jameson  coaxed  him  and  reasoned  with  him,  very  much  like  Socrates  with  the 
timid  Alcibiades.  Finally  Rogers  yielded  to  Jameson’s  persistent  plea  and 
appeared  before  the  class  in  Washington  Medical  College.  He  soon  found 
that  he  had  no  difficulty  in  addressing  the  class  and  before  the  end  of  the 
term  was  considered  a most  eloquent  lecturer.  This  was  the  same  J.  B. 
Rogers  who  ten  years  later  kept  the  students  in  Drake’s  College  spellbound 
with  his  eloquent  discussions  of  chemical  lore.  Rogers  remained  in  Cincin- 
nati until  1839.  During  the  summer  months  he  assisted  his  brother  William 
in  making  a geological  survey  of  Virginia.  In  1840  he  joined  his  brother 
Henry  in  a geological  survey  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1841  he  lectured  on  chem- 
istry in  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Institute  and  became  a warm  friend  of  John 
Bell,  afterwards  a professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  For  a short 
time  he  was  professor  of  chemistry  in  Franklin  College,  Philadelphia.  In 
1847  his  great  talents  and  achievements  were  rewarded  by  the  professorship 
of  chemistry  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  became  the  successor 
of  the  distinguished  Robert  Hare.  He  took  a deep  interest  in  all  things  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  of  the  profession  and,  with  his  friend  John  Bdl, 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  He  edited 
a number  of  standard  works  on  chemistry.  He  was  universally  respected  and 
beloved  on  account  of  his  generous  and  warm-hearted  temperament  and  his 
sunshiny  and  yet  dignified  conduct.  He  died  in  1852.  His  brother,  Flenry  D., 
became  professor  of  natural  philosophy  in  the  University  of  Glasgow.  An- 
other brother,  William  B.,  was  one  of  the  founders  and  the  first  president  of 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  Still  another  brother,  Robert  E., 
became  the  successor  of  James  B.,  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  later 
was  professor  of  chemistry  in  Jefferson  Medical  College.  Samuel  D.  Gross 
says  of  James  B.  Rogers  that  he  was  a marvelously  gifted  man,  a veritable 
Demosthenes  before  the  class,  modest  and  amiable  in  his  conduct,  with  a 
wealth  of  sunshine  in  his  nature  but  never  much  money  in  his  pocket. 

JOHN  LEONARD  RIDDELL  who  for  one  year  shared  with  James  B. 
Rogers  the  responsibilities  of  the  chair  of  chemistry  and  at  the  same  time  gave 
courses  in  botany,  was  born  in  Leyden,  Mass.,  in  1807.  After  graduating 
from  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute,  Troy,  N.  Y.,  he  attended  Worth- 
ington College,  Ohio,  and  served  for  a few  months  as  professor  of  chemistry 
in  the  newly  founded  Medical  Department  of  the  latter.  The  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Worthington  College  was  subsequently  transferred  to  Cincinnati 
under  the  name  of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Institute.  In  1835  Riddell  came  to 
Cincinnati  and  taught  at  Drake’s  College.  In  1836  he  went  to  New  Orleans. 
For  a period  of  twenty-nine  years  he  held  the  chair  of  chemistry  in  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  the  University  of  Louisiana.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
1865,  he  was  considered  by  many  to  be  the  foremost  American  scientist.  He 


202 


was  the  inventor  of  the  binocular  microscope.  He  discovered  a new  botanical 
genus,  the  Riddellia,  which  was  named  after  him.  He  published  a compre- 
hensive work  on  “The  Flora  of  the  Western  States”  (1836),  advocated  the 
organic  nature  of  miasm  and  contagion  as  early  as  1836,  wrote  extensively  on 
metallurgy  and  numismatics,  made  extensive  investigations  concerning  the 
microscopic  characteristics  of  the  blood  in  cholera  and  yellow  fever.  For 
many  years  he  held  the  post  of  melter  and  refiner  at  the  United  States  Mint 
in  New  Orleans.  While  connected  with  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  his  title  was  adjunct  professor  of  chemistry  and  lecturer  on 
botany. 


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CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OE  OHIO. 

(Third  and  Fourth  Decades.) 

The  reorganization  of  the  Ohio  faculty  in  1837  and  the  collapse  of 
Drake’s  school  in  1839  opened  a new  era  in  the  history  of  the  school. 
The  trustees  had  rewarded  those  who  had  stood  by  the  school  when 
its  destinies  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Legislators.  Wright  and  Kirtland  were 
made  professors.  Robert  Thompson  and  Wm.  M.  Awl,  both  of  Columbus, 
were  made  doctors  of  medicine  honoris  causa.  The  man  who  managed  the 
affairs  of  the  college  was  John  Shotwell,  able  and  popular,  but  not  big  enough 
to  seek  his  triumph  in  the  welfare  of  the  school.  He  wanted  to  be  the  maker 
of  policies  and  the  dictator  of  the  school.  Mussey  and  Moorhead  had  both 
passed  the  age  of  restless  ambition.  They  did  not  interfere  with  him  or  his 
schemes.  Kirtland  was  a stranger  and  too  much  interested  in  scientific  work 
to  care  for  any  advancement  that  might  come  to  him  by  toadying  to  Shotwell. 
He  resigned  in  1842  to  seek  a more  congenial  atmosphere.  Harrison  and 
Lawson  were  both  internists  and  were  not  in  the  way  of  Shotwell’s  surgical 
ambition.  Harrison  was  a remnant  of  Drake’s  school  and,  therefore,  hardly 
in  a position  to  assert  himself.  Lawson  was  indifferent.  Whenever  things 
were  not  to  his  liking,  he  went  elsewhere  to  lecture.  The  Lexington  and  Louis- 
ville schools  were  glad  to  take  him  whenever  he  cared  to  come.  He  was  a 
good  teacher  and  the  Ohio  trustees  were  always  glad  to  get  him  back.  The 
man  in  the  faculty  who  openly  opposed  Shotwell’s  dictatorial  conduct  was 
Wright,  who  was  seconded  by  Locke.  The  latter  was  the  idol  of  the  students 
and  the  most  highly  respected  member  of  the  faculty.  He  had  a national 
reputation  as  a scientist.  Locke  loved  the  college  and  disliked  the  much 
younger  Shotwell  because  he  did  not  trust  his  motives.  Shotwell  had  the 
board  of  trustees  under  his  thumb  through  his  friend  J.  L.  Vattier.  Some 
of  the  trustees  could  not  be  whipped  into  line,  but  they  were  in  the  hopeless 
minority.  Such  were  the  conditions  in  the  third  decade.  That  the  dove  of 
peace  did  not  hover  over  the  meetings  of  the  professors  can  readily  be 
understood. 

There  were  extraneous  influences  that  disturbed  the  healthy  growth  of 
the  school.  A dangerous  rival  had  risen  in  Louisville,  the  Louisville  Medical 
Institute.  Drake  and  Gross  were  members  of  the  Louisville  faculty.  Jedediah 
Cobb  was  also  there.  Charles  Caldwell,  famous  as  an  author,  John  Esten 
Cooke,  the  distinguished  teacher  of  materia  medica ; Henry  Miller,  widely 


204 


known  as  a gynecologist  of  ability;  L.  P.  Yandell,  an  eloquent  lecturer  on 
chemistry,  were  the  other  members  of  the  Louisville  faculty.  They  built  up  a 
large  school  in  a comparatively  short  time.  That  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
and  Transylvania  University  lost  many  students  through  the  success  of  the 
Louisville  school,  is  plain. 

Two  new  schools  had  sprung  up  in  Cincinnati  and  added  to  the  general 
confusion,  mainly  by  keeping  up  a vigorous  agitation  with  reference  to  the 
clinical  advantages  of  the  Commercial  Hospital.  One  was  the  Physio-Medical 
College  conducted  by  the  very  able,  but  gushing,  fussy  and  erratic  Alva  Curtis. 
The  other  new  school  was  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Institute.  In  addition  to 
all  this,  the  charges  of  neglect  against  the  Ohio  professors  who  were  attending 
the  patients  in  the  Commercial  Hospital,  were  again  brought  by  public  and 
press,  and  emphasized  by  indignation  meetings  and  by  vehement  denuncia- 
tions in  the  public  prints.  The  agitation  against  the  college  was  as  active  as 
ever  in  Columbus.  Those  trustees  who  constituted  the  minority  and  quite  a 
few  physicians  who  aspired  to  be  professors  in  the  school,  added  their  share 
to  the  general  discomfort  and  unrest  in  the  faculty. 

In  spite  of  all  these  untoward  circumstances  the  good  work  of  the  faculty 
was  apparent  in  the  constantly  increasing  attendance.  During  the  session 
1844-’45,  177  students  had  matriculated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The 
evident  prosperity  of  the  school  fanned  the  smoldering  ashes  of  jealousy  and 
opposition  into  an  open  flame.  The  enemies  of  the  school  seemed  more 
anxious  than  ever  to  embarrass  the  school.  The  city  council  memorialized  the 
Legislature  to  turn  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  over  to  the  City  of  Cincin- 
nati. Letters  were  sent  to  the  Legislature  from  every  part  of  the  State  de- 
manding an  investigation,  some  of  them  calling  for  the  sale  of  the  college 
and  a distribution  of  the  proceeds  among  the  other  institutions  of  the  State. 
The  answer  of  the  trustees  of  the  college  was  a formal  appeal  to  the  Legisla- 
ture for  an  appropriation  of  $15,000  to  rebuild  the  college.  This  was  not  in 
entire  accord  with  Shotwelks  intentions.  Instead  of  asking  favors  of  the 
Legislature  and,  in  this  way,  becoming  more  dependent  on  the  State,  Shotwell 
aimed  to  make  the  college  independent  and  self-governing.  He  informed  the 
trustees  that  the  professors  would  advance  the  money  and  accept  a mortgage 
on  the  property.  The  trustees,  believing  that  the  offer  was  made  in  good 
faith,  accepted  it.  Shotwell’s  next  move  was  to  have  himself  appointed  ad- 
junct professor  of  surgery.  This  irritated  Mussey  and  he  threatened  to 
resign.  The  trustees  realized  that  a most  uncomfortable  situation  had  been 
created  which  would  eventually  result  in  an  open  rupture.  Some  of  them' 
suggested  to  get  rid  of  both  Mussey  and  Shotwell.  The  chairs  of  anatomy 
and  surgery  were  offered  to  Cobb  and  Gross  who  were  teaching  in  Louisville. 
Both  declined.  Mussey  and  Shotwell,  allied  in  the  protection  of  common 
interests,  resorted  to  a clever  flank  movement.  They  induced  Daniel  Drake 
to  apply  for  the  chair  of  practice.  They  figured  out  that  the  glamor  of  his 
name  and  the  power  of  his  personality  would  fortify  their  own  positions, 


205 


strengthen  the  school  and  please  the  outside  world.  In  this  they  were  not 
mistaken.  By  declaring  all  the  chairs  vacant,  a rearrangement  of  the  faculty 
was  made  possible.  Drake  became  professor  of  practice,  Mussey  and  Shot- 
well,  respectively,  assumed  the  chairs  of  surgery  and  anatomy.  To  prevent 
the  officious  Shotwell  from  meddling  with  the  demonstrator  of  anatomy,  the 
trustees  decided  to  make  the  latter  independent  of  the  faculty  and  directly 
responsible  to  the  board  of  trustees.  Shotwell  felt  the  sting  of  this  arrange- 
ment. The  session  passed  off  without  any  improvement  in  the  internal  con- 
ditions of  the  school.  Drake,  disappointed  and  disgusted,  resigned  at  the  end 
of  the  term.  His  resignation  caused  a tremendous  sensation  in  Cincinnati 
where  he  was  very  popular  among  the  great  masses  of  the  people.  Forty-two 
local  physicians  protested  against  his  resignation  and  asked  the  trustees  to 
persuade  him  to  remain.  A week  after  Drake  had  resigned,  a letter  bearing 
the  signatures  of  fifty-three  local  physicians  was  received  by  the  trustees, 
asking  for  dismissal  of  the  whole  faculty.  Mussey,  Bayless  and  Shotwell 
had  resigned  before  the  end  of  the  session.  The  school  seemed  to  be  totally 
demoralized.  Two  weeks  after  Drake  had  handed  in  his  resignation,  the 
whole  faculty  was  dismissed  by  the  trustees.  Again  an  attempt  at  improve- 
ment was  made  by  reorganization.  In  less  than  one  year  subsequent  to  the 
beginning  of  the  session  1849-’50,  there  were  twenty-five  changes  in  the 
faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  as  a result  of  resignations,  new  ap- 
pointments and  reorganization  and  rearrangement  of  the  old  chairs  and  their 
incumbents.  The  moral  effect  of  this  confused  condition  on  the  profession 
can  readily  be  imagined.  The  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania had,  in  the  sixty  years  of  its  existence,  experienced  but  thirty-four 
changes  in  its  faculty,  only  nine  more  than  the  Ohio  College  in  twelve  months. 
Under  these  conditions  the  chairs  in  the  Ohio  College  frequently  went  beg- 
ging. Prominent  men  like  Gross,  Flint,  Cartwright,  Willard  Parker,  G.  W. 
Norris,  Thos.  W.  Colescott,  Benj.  W.  Dudley  and  his  son  E.  L.  Dudley,  of 
Transylvania,  flatly  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  Ohio  College. 
Those  outsiders,  who  did  accept,  did  not  remain  long,  for  instance  Bell,  Bay- 
less, Baxley  and  others. 

The  root  of  all  the  evil  was  the  unfortunate  system  whereby  the  trustees 
were  elected  by  the  Legislature  ever}^  three  years.  The  scramble  for  appoint- 
ments, the  promises  made,  the  political  affiliations,  all  contributed  towards 
making  the  trustees  a board  of  meddlers.  The  prevailing  thought  was  to 
dictate  to  the  faculty.  Then  there  was  the  strife  among  the  professors.  Shot- 
well  in  his  lectures  on  anatomy  was  constantly  invading  the  field  of  surgery 
which  annoyed  Mussey  and  gave  rise  to  long'  and  serious  discussions  during 
the  faculty  meetings.  The  difficulty  was  adjusted  by  a resolution  accurately 
defining  Shotwell’s  and  Mussey’s  chairs. 

Shotwell’s  death  in  1849  did  not  by  any  means  restore  order.  A good 
account  of  the  troubles  of  the  Ohio  College  is  given  in  a “Memorial”  pub- 
lished by  M.  B.  Wright  who  was  the  storm  center  during  the  embroglio  of 


206 


1850.  He  openly  antagonized  Vattier  who,  as  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  was  practically  the  dictator  of  both  trustees  and  faculty.  In  his 
‘‘Memorial”  Wright  informs  us  that  Drake’s  resignation  was  prompted  by 
the  latter’s  digust  with  Vattier’s  methods  who  had  established  a system  of 
espionage  whereby  he  was  enabled  to  watch  the  doings  of  every  man  in 
the  College.  Men  who  did  not  do  his  bidding  were  blacklisted  and  hounded. 
Wright  speaks  of  a ring  in  the  board  of  trustees  the  purpose  of  which  was  to 
sustain  Vattier  as  the  dictator  of  the  college,  ostracize  his  opponents  socially 
and  ruin  them  professionally.  Wright  deplores  the  absence  of  cordial  feeling 
and  co-operation  among  Cincinnati  doctors  for  the  general  good.  Vattier 
had  by  no  means  smooth  sailing.  In  the  Spring  of  1849  the  students  of  the 
college  met  and  in  open  meeting  condemned  the  narrow  policy  of  the  trustees. 
Certain  reforms  were  declared  to  be  absolutely  necessary.  Honest  John  Locke 
whose  loyalty  to  the  college  could  not  be  questioned,  addressed  a communi- 
cation to  the  trustees  full  of  bitter  truths.  This  letter  eventually  led  to  Locke’s 
dismissal  from  the  school.  Dr.  Thos.  O.  Edwards  publicly  declared  that  he 
looked  upon  the  entrance  of  any  man  into  the  Ohio  College  as  the  acceptance 
of  his  professional  death-warrant.  He  favored  the  organization  of  a new 
school.  In  1850  the  Methodists  tried  to  open  a medical  school  in  Cincinnati 
as  the  Medical  Department  of  Wesleyan  University,  Delaware,  Ohio.  A bitter 
controversy  ensued  in  the  religious  and  medical  journals.  If  the  champions 
of  the  Methodist  medical  school  had  succeeded  in  getting  control  of  the  Com- 
mercial Hospital  on  equal  footing  with  the  Ohio  College,  their  new  school 
would  have  gone  into  operation  in  1850.  Tom  Edwards  who  was  an  experi- 
enced politician,  urged  the  organization  of  the  new  school.  Later  on  he  pro- 
posed to  make  the  Ohio  College  the  Medical  Department  of  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity which  would  have  placed  the  Ohio  school  under  the  trustees  of  the 
Wesleyan  school.  Vattier  was  perturbed  because  of  Edwards’  attitude.  In 
order  to  put  him  out  of  the  way,  he  offered  him  a chair  in  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio.  Edwards  fell  into  the  trap  and  his  opposition  ceased. 

In  1850  the  struggle  between  Vattier  and  Wright  became  acute.  Wright 
in  an  open  letter  addressed  to  Dr.  Robert  Thompson,  of  Columbus,  Ohio, 
vehemently  condemned  the  annual  report  of  the  trustees.  He  had  three  sup- 
porters in  the  board  of  trustees,  Messrs.  Tefft  and  Ball  and  Doctor  Mount. 
The  latter  was  the  president.  During  his  absence  from  the  city  Vattier  called  a 
meeting  of  the  trustees  and  brought  charges  against  Wright.  He  produced  a 
dozen  letters  from  local  physicians  in  which  Wright  was  roundly  abused. 
These  letters  had  come  in  response  to  a circular  which  Vattier  sent  out.  He 
had,  of  course,  been  careful  in  not  sending  his  circulars  to  any  but  enemies  of 
Wright.  The  latter’s  positive  character  had  made  him  quite  a few  enemies  in 
the  profession.  Vattier  succeeded  in  his  scheme.  Wright  was  dismissed  from 
the  school.  A ludicrous  incident  of  the  meeting  was  the  display  of  feeling  and 
indignation  on  the  part  of  Vattier  who  informed  his  colleagues  that  one  of 
their  number,  Mr.  Tefft,  was  an  enemy  to  the  school  and  to  the  science  of 


207 


medicine  because  he  had  recently  employed  a homoeopathic  physician  in 
his  family.  In  order  to  convince  the  profession  of  the  purity  and  unselfish- 
ness of  his  motives,  Vattier  issued  an  open  letter  to  the  physicians  of  the 
State  of  Ohio  in  which  some  very  unconventional  statements  are  made  about 
j\L  B.  Wright.  The  latter  followed  this  open  letter  with  a manifesto  which  in 
point  of  peppery  invective  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 

There  was  still  another  factor  that  added  to  the  confusion  in  the  college. 
There  were  many  young  men  in  the  city  who  were  anxious  to  be  medical 
teachers.  These  younger  men  were  a constant  menace  to  the  stability  of  the 
faculty  because  most  of  them  were  willing  to  accept  an  appointment  under 
any  and  all  conditions.  Most  of  these  aspirants  were  able  and  ambitious, 
and  not  without  experience  as  teachers.  Some  of  them  had  had  private 
classes  in  one  or  two  branches.  Thos.  Wood  gave  private  dissecting  courses 
in  the  Ohio  Dental  College  (on  College  Street)  to  medical  and  dental  stu- 
dents. A.  H.  Baker  who  in  1851  chartered  a new  college,  conducted  quizz- 
classes  in  all  branches  in  1850.  A more  pretentious  enterprise  was  a private 
medical  school  conducted  by  Chas.  L.  Avery,  E.  K.  Chamberlin,  J.  F.  White, 
J.  A.  Murphy,  J.  B.  Smith  and  J.  A.  Warder.  Others  had  banded  together 
and  had  made  up  a faculty  called  the  ‘‘Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati”  which 
in  1850  issued  quite  a pretentious  announcement.  Their  lectures  began  in 
March  and  continued  for  sixteen  weeks.  The  trustees  of  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  allowed  them  the  use  of  the  lecture  rooms  and  permitted  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  college  to  co-operate  with  them  in  the  college  and  in  the  Com- 
mercial Hospital.  The  most  conspicuous  lecturers  in  the  “Institute”  were 
W.  W.  Dawson  (anatomy  and  physiology),  George  Mendenhall  (obstetrics 
and  diseases  of  women)  ; Chas.  W.  Wright  (chemistry),  who  became  pro- 
fessor of  chemistry  in  the  Ohio  College  in  1853;  Thomas  Wood  (surgery), 
subsequently  a member  ’of  the  Ohio  faculty,  and  C.  G.  Comegys  (thera- 
peutics), who  became  a medical  teacher  of  great  prominence.  Similar  insti- 
tutions (preparatory  courses,  private  classes,  summer  schools)  had  sprung 
up  periodically.  In  1844  Mendenhall,  Woodward,  Wood,  Warder  and  others 
opened  a City  Dispensary  and  gave  regular  courses.  As  early  as  1837  an 
independent  summer  school  existed  in  Cincinnati,  conducted  by  young  men 
who  were  not  connected  with  any  college.  The  “Institute”  of  1850  was  in 
reality  the  forerunner  of  the  Miami  Medical  College.  The  “Institute”  was 
crystallized  into  a college  when  Reuben  D.  Mussey  stepped  out  of  the  Ohio 
College  and  furnished  the  nucleus  of  prestige  necessary  to  a new  school. 
Those  members  of  the  Institute  faculty  who  did  not  become  Miami  profes- 
sors, were  immediately  absorbed  by  the  Ohio  College.  The  only  exception 
was  Dawson  who  continued  giving  private  courses  in  anatomy  until  1861 
when  he  also  became  a professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  A medical 
institute  similar  to  the  Cincinnati  Institute  existed  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1853. 

Once  every  year  the  Legislature  through  its  “Standing  Committee  on 
Medical  Colleges  and  Societies”  issued  a report  in  which  the  perpetual  trou- 


208 


bles  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  formed  a conspicuous  part.  These 
reports  bristled  with  sarcastic  references  to  the  medical  profession,  to  fighting 
and  wrangling  doctors,  to  quackery  in  and  out  of  the  profession  and  some 
other  subjects  concerning  which  laymen  are  not  supposed  to  know  anything. 
The  condition  of  the  only  State  institution  for  medical  learning,  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  was  in  1850  practically  hopeless.  No  one  thought  that  the 
seemingly  inevitable  end  could  be  averted.  In  this  hour  of  distress  Vattier 
decided  to  arouse  new  interest  and  infuse  new  enthusiasm  for  the  college 
by  throwing  the  weight  of  his  political  influence  on  the  side  of  those  who 
had  urged  the  erection  of  a new  building  for  the  college. 


Medical  College  of  Ohio  (1852) 


A most  important  meeting  of  the  trustees  was  called  by  Vattier,  February 
22,  1851.  Thos.  O.  Edwards,  now  a member  of  the  faculty,  was  authorized 
to  go  to  Columbus,  aid  in  making  certain  changes  in  the  charter  and  get  per- 
mission to  secure  a loan  for  the  erection  of  a new  building.  Edwards  was 
successful.  A special  committee  was  authorized  to  procure  a loan  of  $20,000 
by  issuing  forty  bonds  of  $500,  the  capital  to  be  paid  back  in  ten  years.  Sub- 
sequently twenty  more  bonds  were  issued.  To  help  in  paying  the  interest  on 
these  bonds  each  professor  was  taxed  $300  annually  which  again  gave  rise 
to  friction.  The  plans  for  the  new  building  were  drawn  by  Walter  and  Wil- 
son, architects,  and  were  approved.  Within  one  year  the  building,  a Gothic 
structure  of  imposing  appearance  and  considered  the  finest  and  most  prac- 
tical edifice  of  its  kind  in  this  country,  was  ready  for  occupancy.  It  contained 
two  large  amphitheaters,  each  capable  of  accommodating  between  five  and  six 


209 


hundred  students,  rooms  for  clinics,  library,  museum,  laboratories,  dissection 
and  private  apartments  for  the  faculty.  This  historic  building  which  was  erected 
at  a cost  of  $50,000  was  the  home  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during  the 
aetas  anrea  of  the  latter.  Within  its  halls  the  mighty  voices  of  the  past, 
those  of  Blackman,  Wright,  Bartholow,  Graham,  Whittaker,  Conner  and 
Reamy  were  heard  and  the  giants  of  those  days  were  greeted  with  tumultuous 
applause  by  five  hundred  students  gathered  from  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  continent.  A thousand  ties  of  sentiment  and  recollection  bind  the  alumni 
of  the  college  to  the  good  old  building  that  was  for  forty-six  years  a land- 
mark of  the  city.  The  building  was  razed  in  1896.  The  day  on  which  the 
work  of  destruction  was  begun,  was  dark  and  dreary,  with  an  occasional 
rainfall.  Sadness  was  in  the  very  atmosphere.  The  leaden  clouds  in  the 
heavens  seemed  to  betoken  death  and  destruction.  The  glories  of  the  past 
vanished  with  the  old  structure.  But  to  return  to  our  narrative. 

The  physicians  of  Cincinnati  in  1852  were  determined  to  support  the  re- 
organized faculty  against  those  trustees  who  were  considered  meddlesome. 
A memorial  signed  by  John  A.  Murphy,  W.  W.  Dawson,  A.  S.  Dandridge, 
Geo.  Mendenhall  and  forty  others  of  similar  standing  asked  for  the  resigna- 
tion of  two  trustees  who  had  submitted  a minority  report  to  the  Legislature 
in  which  many  sarcastic  references  to  ‘Tussy,  discordant  and  jealous  doctors” 
occurred.  The  storm  in  the  tea  kettle  finally  subsided  and  all  was  again 
serene.  One  of  the  ofifending  trustees,  Hon.  Flamen  Ball,  remained  a trustee 
for  some  thirty  more  years  and  his  death  was  lamented  by  every  friend  of 
the  college.  It  was  a singular  coincidence  that  Drake,  the  father  of  the  col- 
lege, died  in  the  same  year  when  its  proud  home  was  ready  for  occupancy. 
The  forced  retirement  of  Locke  was  a pathetic  incident  of  the  year  1852. 

The  opening  of  the  new  building  seemed  to  pave  the  way  for  a strong  and 
prosperous  career  of  the  college.  The  organization  of  rival  schools  (Cincin- 
nati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1851,  Miami  Medical  College  in 
1852)  had  a wholesome  efifect.  The  fourth  decade  in  the  life  of  the  college 
witnessed  the  advent  of  two  men  who  were  towers  of  strength,  George  C. 
Blackman  (1855)  whose  reputation  was  second  to  none  as  a scholar  and  a, 
surgeon,  and  James  Graham  (1855)  who  was  a peerless  teacher  and  a born 
peacemaker.  In  1853  the  college  clinic  was  established.  Graham’s  services 
as  the  conciliatory  member  of  the  faculty  were  in  constant  demand  after 
Blackman  had  gotten  fairly  acquainted.  New  men  were  added  and  others 
eliminated.  One  or  two  resignations  marked  the  end  of  every  term.  In 
this  respect  conditions  had  not  changed.  But  in  one  respect  the  situation  was 
materially  dififerent.  Even  if  some  of  the  professors  did  not  live  in  harmony 
with  each  other,  they  were  all  tremendously  able  men  after  1855  and  showed 
considerable  esprit  de  corps  when  the  interests  of  the  college  were  concerned. 
The  year  1857  was  signalized  by  two  commencements,  two  complete  sessions 
having  been  held.  The  same  year  witnessed  the  absorption  of  the  Miami 
Medical  College  by  the  Ohio  school,  four  of  the  Miami  professors  (Foote, 


210 


Judkins,  Mendenhall,  Comegys)  being  added  to  the  Ohio  faculty  to  take  the 
place  of  four  Ohio  professors  who  had  resigned,  (Tate,  Marshall,  Armor, 
Warder).  The  ad  cnndem  degree  was  conferred  on  all  Miami  alumni  who 
applied  for  the  Ohio  diploma.  In  1859  it  was  decided  by  the  trustees  to 
allow  one  student  from  each  Congressional  District  of  Ohio  to  attend  gratu- 
itously, the  appointment  being  left  to  the  Congressman  of  each  District. 

The  end  of  the  fourth  decade  was  marked  by  many  tempestuous  faculty 
meetings  in  which  Blackman,  a veritable  Jupiter  tonans,  took  his  stand  against 
the  whole  faculty,  most  of  whom  were  afraid  of  his  temper.  The  appear- 
ance of  Comegys  invariably  affected  Blackman  like  the  proverbial  red  rag 
the  bull.  During  the  session  1859-T)0  Blackman  appeared  before  the  class 
and  expressed  his  opinion  about  all  his  colleagues  generally  and  some  of  them 
specifically.  The  faculty  demanded  an  apology.  Blackman,  of  course,  re- 
fused and  repeated  the  performance  before  the  class.  The  faculty  appealed 
to  the  trustees,  who  refused  to  interfere.  The  faculty  threatened  to  resign 
in  a body  if  Blackman  was  not  removed.  The  trustees  accepted  the  resigna- 
tions of  Comegys,  Murphy,  Mendenhall,  Lawson,  Richardson,  Foote  and 
Judkins.  Graham  unwillingly  joined  the  retiring  professors  because  he  did 
not  approve  of  Blackman’s  action.  Blackman  triumphantly  held  the  fort. 
This  was  the  situation  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  decade  (1860). 

The  men  who  were  particularly  active  in  the  board  of  trustees  were 
William  Mount,  John  P.  Foote  and  Flamen  Ball.  Their  names  deserve  to 
be  remembered.  J.  L.  Vattier  would  have  done  better  if  he  had  been  less 
of  a politician.  He  was  the  friend  of  Shotwell  and  the  sworn  enemy  of 
Wright.  This  accounts  for  the  many  difficulties  in  which  he  was  involved. 
He  instigated  the  dismissal  of  John  Locke  which  was  a disgrace  to  the  col- 
lege. Locke  was  not  pliable  enough.  This  was  the  crime  for  which  he  was 
expelled.  A picturesque  figure  in  the  college  was  William  DeBeck,  the  first 
janitor  in  the  new  building.  He  is  the  grandfather  of  David  DeBeck,  a dis- 
tinguished oculist,  for  many  years  connected  with  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  and  now  practicing  in  Seattle,  Wash. 

The  number  of  matriculants  in  1842  was  360  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, 220  in  Jefferson  Medical  College,  200  in  Transylvania  Lhiiversity, 
180  in  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute.  All  the  schools  had  experienced  a 
decrease  in  the  attendance,  in  part  due  to  the  financial  stringency  of  that  year. 
There  were  eight  regular  medical  colleges  in  the  South  and  West  at  that 
time.  The  following  year  (1843)  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute  had  230 
students,  Transylvania  University  214,  University  of  Pennsylvania  400,  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College  300. 

A number  of  small  schools  started  up  about  this  time:  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Laporte  University,  Indiana,  with  27  students,  Kemper  College  Med- 
ical School  (founded  by  J.  N.  McDowell),  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  with  75,  Cleve- 
land Medical  College  with  65,  Willoughby  University  with  48  students.  In 
1850  the  Cleveland  Medical  College  (Western  Reserve)  had  255  students  and 


211 


agreed  to  accept  promissory  notes,  thus  encouraging  a questionable  credit 
system ; Starling  Medical  College  had  151  students  in  1850  and  a new  building 
in  course  of  construction ; the  Medical  College  of  Evansville,  a very  self- 
confident  upstart,  had  39  pupils  and  claimed  to  be  practically  the  best  medical 
school  in  America;  Jefferson  Medical  College  claimed  516  students,  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  the  University  of  New  York  411,  the  University  of  St. 
Louis  112,  the  University  of  Louisiana  175.  It  is  but  fair  to  state  that  most 
of  these  figures  published  in  the  journals  of  those  years  should  be  taken  cum 
grano  salis.  It  seemed  to  be  the  proper  thing  to  exaggerate  figures.  The 
published  number  of  the  matriculants  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was 
always  at  least  30  per  cent  larger  than  the  actual  number  entered  on  the  books. 
This  was  the  customary  modus  operandi  with  practically  all  medical  schools 
in  those  days,  especially  in  the  West.  The  announcements  issued  by  the 
schools,  impress  the  reader  of  today  as  being  strangely  at  variance  with  the 
unwritten  laws  of  tact  and  taste.  They  read  like  the  advertisements  of  a 
merchant  praising  his  wares.  Every  professor  is  eulogized  as  absolutely  the 
foremost  exponent  of  his  branch  in  the  country.  The  “Western  Lancet’' 
(1850)  condemns  this  practice  as  being  foolish,  improper  and  unprofessional. 
In  1856  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  did  not  issue  an  announcement  of  lec- 
tures and  catalogue  of  students.  Times  were  hard  and  competition  very 
close.  A.  H.  Baker’s  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  practically  a free 
school,  was  an  unfair  competitor.  All  these  circumstances  prepared  the  con- 
solidation of  the  Ohio  and  Miami  Colleges  in  1857. 

The  fees  charged  in  1850  were  $84.  The  authorities  of  the  College 
steadfastly  refused  to  adopt  the  tactics  of  some  of  the  rival  schools  that  tried 
to  attract  students  by  lowering  the  fees.  Rush  Medical  College  had  ’reduced 
the  fee  for  one  course  of  lectures  to  $35.  Evansville  Medical  College  in  due 
deference  to  the  temperance-hysteria  which  was  epidemic  in  this  country  at 
that  time,  offered  to  credit  any  student  with  one-half  of  his  fee  if  he  would 
take  the  pledge — “a  grand  scheme  for  converting  medical  students  into  hypo- 
crites” (“Western  Lancet,”  1850,  p.  655).  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  N.  S. 
Davis,  the  founder  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  was  at  that  time  an 
avowed  advocate  of  free  medical  schools. 

In  most  of  the  Western  schools  of  those  days  two  courses  of  five  months 
each  were  required  for  graduation.  In  the  smaller  colleges  there  was  a ten- 
dency towards  shortening  the  length  of  the  term.  In  the  East  six  months 
constituted  a term.  The  question  of  higher  medical  education  agitated  the 
professional  mind  in  those  days  as  much  as  it  does  today.  There  were  not  a 
few  who  urged  the  possession  of  the  baccalaureate  degree  as  being  a neces- 
sary requirement  of  matriculation  in  a medical  school. 

The  history  of  the  college  in  its  relation  to  the  individuals  who  were  its 
principal  figures  between  1840  and  1860,  will  be  better  understood  by  studying 
the  part  which  these  men  played  with  reference  to  and  their  personal  attitude 
towards  the  school. 


212 


Thomas  O.  Edwards 


DanieIv  Odiver 


E.  M.  Lawson 


H.  WiEEis  Baxeey 


John  Beee 


213 


G.  W.  BayeEvSS 


DANIEL  OLIVER,  while  he  occupied  a medical  chair  in  Cincinnati  for 
but  one  session,  is  entitled  to  notice  because  he  was  during  his  professional 
career  acknowledged  one  of  the  best  educated  and  most  versatile  physicians 
in  this  country.  He  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  in  1787,  and  received  his  lit- 
erary education  at  Harvard.  He  finished  his  classical  course  at  Harvard  in 
1805  and  did  post-graduate  work  at  Dartmouth  (M.A.,  1807).  He  attended 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  graduated  in 
medicine  in  1810.  Dartmouth  conferred  the  ad  eundem  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine  upon  him.  He  was  appointed  lecturer  on  chemistry  at  Dart- 
mouth in  1815  and  remained  with  the  institution  for  twenty-one  years. 
During  this  period  he  held  different  professorships.  Erom  1820  he  lectured 
on  practice.  In  1825  he  included  physiology  and  materia  medica.  In  1836 
he  also  lectured  on  medical  jurisprudence.  He  resigned  his  medical  profes- 
sorship in  1836  and  for  two  years  filled  the  chair  of  mental  philosophy.  His 
successor  in  the  chair  of  practice  was  John  Delamater.  In  1840  he  followed 
his  friend,  R.  D.  Mussey,  to  Cincinnati  and  for  one  term  lectured  on  materia 
medica  and  pathology  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  His  health  failing,  he 
returned  East  and  located  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  the  expectation  of  be- 
coming a member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  as  soon  as 
his  health  would  permit.  He  did  not  improve,  however,  but  grew  rapidly 
worse  and  died  in  1842  of  cancer  of  the  throat. 

Oliver  was  a classical  scholar  of  national  reputation.  He  was  well  versed 
in  French,  German  and  Italian  and  was  considered  a logician  and  philosopher 
of  great  ability.  He  was  fond  of  music  and  played  on  several  instruments, 
particularly  the  piano.  He  was  a modest,  reserved  and  dignified  man,  deeply 
religious  and  a biblical  scholar  of  note.  He  was  the  author  of  a widely  read 
text-book  of  physiology  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  engaged  in  pre- 
paring a book  on  pathology.  In  conjunction  with  Dr.  J.  Pickering,  of  Dart- 
mouth, he  edited  a Greek  dictionary  which  was  the  standard  in  this  country 
for  many  years. 

NOAH  WORCESTER  (Worchester)  was  born  in  Thornton,  N.  H.,  in 
1812.  He  attended  Harvard  University,  getting  his  degree  in  1832.  He 
taught  at  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School  and  the  Cleveland  Medical  College. 
While  teaching  at  the  latter  institution  he  wrote  ‘‘A  Synopsis  of  the  Symp- 
toms, Diagnosis  and  Treatment  of  the  More  Common  and  Important  Diseases 
of  the  Skin.  With  sixty  colored  figures.”  This  book  which,  I am  inclined 
to  think,  is  the  first  treatise  on  dermatology  ever  published  in  this  country, 
was  a pretentious  looking  8vo  volume  of  202  pages.  During  the  session 
1842-’43  Worcester  held  the  chair  of  physical  diagnosis  and  pathology  at  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  was  a shrewd  and  energetic  man  who  rapidly 
attracted  a large  clientele  in  this  city.  He  shared  offices  with  R.  D.  Mussey 
and  was  the  latter’s  confidential  friend.  He  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1847. 


214 


LEONIDAS  MOREAU  LAWSON  came  from  Nicholas  County,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  was  born  September  12,  1812.  He  received  a fairly  good 
general  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  began  to  read  medicine  as  a ‘‘student-apprentice.”  After  he  had 
studied  medicine  in  this  way  for  two  years,  he  was  given  a practitioner’s 
license  for  the  First  Medical  District  of  Ohio.  He  moved  to  Mason  County, 
Kentucky,  and  practiced  there  for  three  or  four  years.  In  1837  he  attended 
the  Medical  Department  of  Transylvania  University  and  received  his  medical 
degree  the  following  year.  Three  years  later  he  moved  to  Cincinnati  and 
founded  the  “Western  Lancet”  which  appeared  for  the  first  time  in  1842  and 
continued  under  his  charge  for  thirteen  years.  Lawson  sold  it  in  1855  to 
Dr.  Thomas  Wood.  In  1844  he  was  offered  a professorship  in  Transylvania 
University.  In  order  to  equip  himself  properly  for  the  duties  of  his  new 
position  he  went  to  Europe  and  studied  in  the  clinics  of  Paris  and  London. 
He  located  in  Lexington  and  lectured  at  Transylvania  for  two  terms.  In 
the  meantime  the  “Western  Lancet”  continued  to  appear  in  Cincinnati  under 
his  editorial  management.  The  rivalry  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and 
Transylvania  University  placed  him  in  a very  awkward  position  because  he 
belonged  to  the  faculty  of  Transylvania  and  yet  was  the  editor  of  a medical 
journal  which  was  issued  from  the  home  town  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio.  He  maintained  a tactful  neutrality  and  managed  to  keep  the  good 
will  of  both  faculties.  In  doing  so,  he  displayed  that  remarkable  self-posses- 
sion and  diplomacy  that  were  characteristic  of  his  dealings  with  the  profes- 
sion and  with  his  colleagues  all  his  life.  In  1847  John  T.  Shotwell  con- 
cluded that  Lawson  would  be  a useful  man  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
and  induced  him  to  accept  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and  pathology.  Law- 
son  came  to  Cincinnati,  managed  to  maintain  agreeable  relations  with  every- 
body, weathered  the  storm  of  1850  and  finally,  in  1853,  became  professor  of 
practice.  The  following  two  sessions  he  spent  in  Louisville,  lecturing  in  the 
Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  and  again  showed  his  great  diplomatic  ability 
as  editor  of  the  “Western  Lancet,”  which  was  being  published  as  before  in 
Cincinnati.  In  1856  he  resumed  his  position  as  professor  of  practice  in  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio.  He  died  of  tuberculosis  in  1864.  Strangely  enough,  the  dis- 
ease, that  killed  him,  had  given  him  his  greatest  professional  reputation.  He 
did  much  of  his  best  work  in  the  study  and  analysis  of  diseases  of  the  lungs 
and  in  1861  published  his  much  admired  work  on  the  subject  named.  As  an 
authority  on  physical  examination  of  the  chest  he  had  a national  reputation. 
The  articles  on  the  diseases  of  the  lungs  which  he  published  in  the  “Western 
Lancet,”  at  different  times,  were  of  historical  import  because  they  contained 
the  first  systematic  presentation  in  this  country  of  the  uses  of  the  stethoscope 
and  other  auxiliaries  in  physical  diagnosis.  As  early  as  1844  he  had  edited 
and  published  “Hope’s  Pathological  Anatomy.” 

Lawson  was  a man  of  medium  height,  rather  ordinary  in  appearance,  cool 
and  collected  in  his  manner,  more  like  a business  man  than  a professional  man 


215 


in  his  demeanor.  He  had  a distinctly  practical  mind,  clear  and  forcible.  His 
command  of  language  was  good  and  sufficiently  easy  although  never  brilliant 
or  rhetorical.  His  calm,  unimpulsive,  methodical  manner  frequently  bordered 
on  monotony.  He  was  at  all  times  a practical  utilitarian  that  subordinated 
high  motives  and  ideals  to  the  necessities  of  existing  circumstances  and 
exigencies  of  his  own  benefit  and  comfort.  He  was  a silent  but  close  observer 
of  the  drift  of  things.  With  his  ear  always  to  the  ground,  he  was  comfort- 
ably carried  by  the  sentiment  of  the  majority.  As  a teacher  his  intensely  prac- 
tical mind  made  him  a valuable  member  of  the  faculty.  His  work  as  a 
medical  editor  was  of  great  service  to  the  profession  because  of  the  frigidly 
practical  manner  in  which  he  handled  problems  of  professional  life.  His 
papers,  articles  and  editorials  were  models  of  conciseness  of  thought  and 
expression  and  compare  favorably  with  the  voluble  and  diffuse  productions 
of  not  a few  medical  writers  of  later  days. 

GEORGE  W.  BAYLESS  was  the  son  of  a prosperous  merchant  in 
Washington,  Mason  County,  Ky.,  and  was  born  in  1816.  His  father  wanted 
the  son  to  become  a business  man  but  finally  consented  to  the  son  attending 
Augusta  College.  After  young  Bayless  left  the  school  he  entered  the  office 
of  Drs.  Talliaferro  and  N.  T.  Marshall  as  a student  apprentice.  These  two 
gentlemen  who  afterwards  became  distinguished  practitioners  and  teachers  of 
medicine  in  Cincinnati,  were  at  that  time  practicing  in  Washington,  Ky. 
After  one  year’s  apprenticeship  Bayless  in  1837  matriculated  at  the  Louisville 
Medical  Institute  and  took  his  first  course  of  lectures.  The  following  year 
he  became  a pupil  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  graduated  in  1839. 
He  returned  to  Louisville  and  began  to  practice.  In  Louisville  he  became  the 
friend  'and  protege  of  Daniel  Drake  who  had  just  moved  there.  Through 
Drake’s  influence  Bayless  became  the  assistant  of  Jedediah  Cobb  as  demon- 
strator of  anatomy  in  the  Louisville  school  and  subsequently  for  three  terms, 
upon  Drake’s  and  Cobb’s  recommendation,  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  (1849-’50  and  1853-’55).  In  1857  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  physiology  and  pathology  in  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine. 
In  1863  he  was  made  professor  of  physiology  in  the  University  of  Louisville. 
In  1865  he  reached  the  goal  of  a lifelong  ambition:  he  was  elected  professor 
of  surgery  in  the  University  of  Louisville,  a place  made  famous  by  the  labors 
of  such  men  as  Gross  and  Palmer.  He  died  in  1873.  The  premature  demise 
of  this  excellent  man  and  physician  caused  sorrow  throughout  the  whole 
Middle  West,  where  his  integrity  and  purity  of  character  and  his  scientific 
attainments  were  known  and  appreciated  by  hundreds  of  his  friends  and 
former  pupils. 

JOHN  BELL,  who  held  the  chair  of  practice  in  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  after  Drake’s  return  to  Louisville  and  left  the  chair  to  make  room  for 
Drake  when  the  latter  came  back  for  the  second  time  to  his  first  and  only 


216 


love,  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1796  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1810.  His  parents  settled  in  Virginia  where  young  Bell  spent 
five  years  amid  hard  work.  In  1817  he  graduated  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania where  he  had  been  the  favorite  pupil  of  Nathaniel  Chapman.  He 
located  in  Philadelphia  and  began  his  career  as  a medical  teacher  in  the 
Philadelphia  Medical  Institute  which  was  affiliated  with  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  as  a summer  school  of  clinical  medicine.  Bell,  previous  to  his 
accepting  the  chair  of  practice  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  had  done  a 
great  deal  of  literary  work  which  had  gained  for  him  a vast  reputation.  His 
papers  on  “Baths  and  Mineral  Waters,”  “Health  and  Beauty,”  “Longevity,” 
“Hydrotherapy”  and  “Dietetics”  were  well  known  to  American  medical 
readers.  “Stokes’  Lectures  on  the  Practice  of  Physic”  had  been  re-written  and 
annotated  by  him.  For  about  thirty  years  he  had  been  the  friend  and 
protege  of  Nathaniel  Chapman  and  for  about  fifteen  years  the  associate  of 
W.  W.  Gerhard,  that  brilliant  investigator,  who  was  the  first  physician  to 
differentiate  between  typhus  and  typhoid  fever.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that 
Bell  was  a man  of  some  consequence  when  he,  as  the  result  of  an  extremely 
disagreeable  controversy,  left  Philadelphia  in  1851  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Cincinnati.  The  aging  Chapman  had  resigned  his  chair  in  Philadelphia 
and  John  Bell  was  the  logical  successor,  at  least  this  is  what  John  Bell 
thought.  The  trustees  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  thought  otherwise. 
John  Bell  was  beside  himself  and  vented  his  ire  in  the  approved  fashion  of 
those  days.  He  published  a pamphlet  in  which  he  said  some  very  unkind 
things  about  trustees  and  thoroughly  unbosomed  himself  about  their  favor- 
itism and  total  lack  of  appreciation.  Before  the  dust,  which  his  very  acrid 
pamphlet  had  raised  in  Philadelphia,  had  had  a chance  to  settle.  Bell  was 
already  on  his  way  to  Cincinnati.  He  lectured  at  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  during  the  sessions  of  1851-’53  and  left  a record  of  close  attention  to 
duty  and  broad  scholarship.  That  Bell  looked  upon  his  work  in  Cincinnati 
as  only  temporary  and  incidental,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  resigned 
after  the  second  term  and  returned  to  Philadelphia.  He  was  at  that  time 
fifty-seven  years  of  age,  a trifle  superannuated,  full  of  the  grievances  of 
approaching  old  age  and  not  in  the  best  of  physical  condition.  Bell  had  left  a 
magnificent  private  practice  in  Philadelphia  which  he  hoped  to  regain  upon 
his  return.  In  this  he  failed.  He  spent  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  in 
comparative  seclusion,  writing  for  medical  journals  and  feasting  on  the  mem- 
ories of  an  honored  career.  Noteworthy  productions  of  his  pen  were 
“Comb’s  Treatise  on  the  Physiological  and  Moral  Management  of  Infancy; 
edited  and  annotated  by  John  Bell,”  an  essay  on  “Cholera”  written  conjointly 
with  D.  F.  Condie,  an  exhaustive*  treatise  on  “The  Mineral  and  Thermal 
Springs  of  the  United  States  and  Canada”  and  a classical  paper  on  “Variola; 
Its  Modification  and  Treatment.”  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  the  “Code  of 
Ethics”  of  the  American  Medical  Association  was,  in  its  original  form,  the 
work  of  John  Bell. 


217 


Personally  John  Bell  was  a typical  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  pure- 
minded  and  full  of  lofty  aspirations.  His  beautiful  character  is  shown  by 
his  tender  filial  devotion  towards  his  aging  parents  whose  happiness  and  com- 
fort were  ever  uppermost  in  his  mind.  He  cared  for  them  with  unfaltering 
loyalty  until  their  death.  Drake  had  much  respect  for  Bell’s  ability  and  in- 
tegrity. In  one  place  he  refers  to  “Our  John  Bell.”  This  suggestive  ap- 
pellation really  has  a double  significance.  It  conveys  Drake’s  tender  regard 
for  Bell  and  incidentally  emphasizes  the  identity  of  the  American  John  Bell 
in  contra-distinction  to  the  John  Bell  of  Edinburgh,  who  was  the  idol  of  his 
many  American  pupils,  notably  Ephraim  McDowell,  Kentucky’s  famous  son. 

THOMAS  O.  EDWARDS  was  born  in  Williamsburgh,  Md.,  in  1810,  was 
educated  at  Canonsburgh,  Pa.,  read  medicine  in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  re- 
ceived his  medical  degree  from  the  University  of  Maryland  in  1831.  In 
1836  he  located  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  soon  acquired  a large  practice.  In 
1846,  after  a spirited  canvass,  he  was  elected  to  the  thirtieth  Congress.  He 
took  a lively  interest  in  the  politics  of  the  State  and  was  on  several  occasions 
the  lobbyist  and  representative  of  the  Aledical  College  of  Ohio  during  the 
sessions  of  the  Ohio  Legislature.  His  work  on  behalf  of  the  college  was 
rewarded  by  his  appointment  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  In  1855  he  resigned  and  moved  to  Iowa.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  served  as  surgeon  of  the  Third  Regiment  Iowa  Volunteers.  At 
the  battle  of  Pittsburgh  Landing  he  was  wounded  and,  after  getting  his  hon- 
orable discharge,  he  returned  to  Lancaster,  Ohio,  where  he  continued  in 
practice  until  1875  when  he  moved  to  Wheeling,  W.  Va.  Here  he  died  the 
following  year.  Edwards’  record  as  a teacher  in  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  is  indifferent.  He  was  not  a man  of  great  ability  in  medicine,  either  as  a. 
teacher  or  a practitioner.  He  was  a loyal  supporter  of  the  Ohio  College,  and, 
in  serving  the  interests  of  the  school,  did  some  clever  work  in  watching  the 
trend  of  legislation  and  guarding  the  movements  and  forestalling  the  schemes 
of  the  enemies  of  the  school.  As  a member  of  Congress  he  did  some  excel- 
lent work  in  the  interests  of  legislation  pertaining  to  pure  foods  and  drugs. 
His  son,  Thomas  O.Edwards,  Jr.,  was  assistant  to  the  chair  of  anatomy  in  1873. 

HENRY  WILLIS  Bx\XLEY  was  born  in  Baltimore  in  1803,  and  received 
his  literary  education  at  St.  Mary’s  College  of  his  native  city.  He  attended 
the  University  of  Maryland  and  received  his  degree  in  medicine  in  1824.  He 
located  in  Baltimore  and  became  in  1826  physician  to  the  Baltimore  General 
Dispensary.  He  held  the  position  for  three  years.  In  1831  he  was  appointed 
physician  to  the  Maryland  Penitentiary.  In  1834  he  became  demonstrator 
and  in  1837  professor  of  anatomy  and  physiology  in  the  University  of  Mary- 
land. He  resigned  in  1839  and  founded  the  Baltimore  College  of  Dental  Sur- 
gery, the  first  dental  school  in  the  world.  Lor  one  year  he  taught  anatomy 
and  physiology  in  this  institution.  Lrom  1842  to  1847  he  was  professor  of 


218 


surgery  in  Washington  Medical  College,  of  Baltimore.  In  1849  he  was 
appointed  physician  to  the  Almshouse.  In  1850  he  became  professor  of 
anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  as  successor  to  John  T.  Shotwell. 
In  1852  when  Jedediah  Cobb  returned  from  Louisville  with  Daniel  Drake  and 
again  filled  the  chair  of  anatomy,  Baxley  was  elected  professor  of  surgery, 
taking  the  place  of  Reuben  D.  Mussey  who  had  helped  to  found  the  Miami 
Medical  College  and  had  become  its  first  professor  of  surgery.  Baxley  re- 
signed in  the  Spring  of  1853  and  returned  East  where  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  practice  of  surgery  and  to  literary  pursuits  for  which  he  was  eminently 
fitted.  In  1865  the  United  States  Government  made  him  Inspector  of  Hos- 
pitals. After  he  had  finished  his  Government  work  he  went  to  Europe  and 
remained  there  for  ten  years.  He  died  in  Baltimore  in  1876,  shortly  after 
his  return  from  Europe. 

Baxley  was  a surgeon  of  ability.  He  was  probably  the  first  man  in  the 
United  States  to  operate  for  strabismus  and  one  of  the  first  to  remove  the 
entire  lower  jaw.  He  had  a wide  reputation  as  a joint  surgeon.  He  was  a 
skilled  microscopist.  He  possessed  literary  ability  of  a high  order.  In  1865 
he  published  a volume  on  “What  I Saw  on  the  West  Coast  of  North  and 
South  America  and  on  the  Hawaiian  Islands.”  In  1875  a London  publisher 
brought  out  two  volumes  by  Baxley  on  “Spain’s  Art-remains,  Art-realities, 
Painters,  Priests  and  Princes.”  Baxley  was  an  erudite  man  with  a keen  and 
vigorous  mind.  He  had  a restless  disposition  and  was  fond  of  change.  His 
incumbency  of  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  would 
have  probably  been  less  short-lived  if  the  conditions  of  the  school,  especially 
of  the  faculty,  had  been  more  conducive  to  earnest  efifort  and  scientific  work. 
The  end  of  the  session  1852-’53  witnessed  the  exodus  of  Baxley,  Cobb,  Locke 
and  Rives.  Drake  had  died  at  the  beginning  of  the  term.  Edwards  and 
Lawson  were  the  only  professors  left. 

ASBURY  EVANS  became  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  at  a time  when  a professorship  in  the  institution  seemed  to  ofifer  no 
temptation  to  surgeons  of  repute.  The  chair  had  in  turn  been  offered  to  men 
of  reputation  in  Lexington,  Louisville  and  other  places.  No  one  seemed 
willing  to  exchange  a certainty  for  the  uncertainties  of  a position  in  the 
demoralized  Ohio  College.  H.  Willis  Baxley  who  filled  the  chair  of  surgery 
during  the  term  1852-’53  was  glad  to  get  away  at  the  end  of  the  term.  He 
had  kept  aloof  from  factions  and  factional  fights  and  was  on  speaking  terms 
with  everybody  when  he  returned  East  in  1853.  Unable  to  find  a successor 
for  the  distinguished  Easterner,  the  trustees  offered  the  chair  to  a local  man 
who  had  a good  reputation  as  a surgeon  and  promised  to  develop  into  a first- 
class  operator.  His  name  was  Asbury  Evans,  a general  practitioner  in  Cov- 
ington, Ky.,  who  was  well  thought  of  by  the  profession  of  his  town.  He 
was  born  in  Mount  Washington,  Bullitt  County,  Ky.,  in  1817.  He  received 
a fairly  good  education  and  became  one  of  the  first  matriculants  in  the  newly 

219 


founded  Louisville  Medical  Institute.  In  1840,  the  year  made  memorable  by 
Daniel  Drake’s  removal  to  Louisville  to  become  a member  of  the  Institute 
faculty,  Evans  graduated.  He  served  his  Alma  Mater  for  one  or  two  terms 
as  demonstrator  of  anatomy  and  eventually  located  in  Covington  as  a general 
practitioner.  He  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  physicians  of  Campbell 
and  Kenton  Counties.  As  a member  of  the  Two  Counties  Medical  Society 
he  was  very  active  and  contributed  many  papers  of  value.  The  surgical  char- 
acter of  the  subjects  he  discussed  in  his  papers  indicated  his  leaning  towards 
surgical  work.  He  discussed  “An  Anomalous  Case  of  Horny  Excrescences,” 
“Hydatid  of  the  Liver,”  “Indications  for  Trephining,”  etc.  Some  of  his 
papers  can  be  found  in  the  files  of  the  “Western  Journal  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery”  and  the  “Western  Lancet.”  In  1853  he  accepted  the  chair  of  sur- 
gery in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  served  two  terms.  That  his  ap- 
pointment was  not  intended  to  mean  a permanent,  but  merely  a temporary 
incumbency,  was  generally  understood.  While  he  was  filling  the  chair  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  the  trustees  had  not  interrupted  their  negotiations  to  find  a 
surgeon  of  great  reputation,  to  counterbalance  the  distinguished  name  of  the 
surgeon  of  the  Miami  Medical  College,  R.  D.  Mussey.  Through  Gross  the 
trustees  found  George  C.  Blackman  and  elected  him.  Evans  resigned  in  the 
Spring  of  1855.  He  was  in  poor  health  and  died  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis 
in  1858  in  Covington.  His  assistant  during  his  two  terms  of  service  was 
MILTON  T.  CAREY,  born  in  Hardin,  Ohio,  in  1831,  a member  of  the  class 
of  1853,  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Carey  was  twice  elected  coroner  of  Ham- 
ilton County  (1857-1859),  accompanied  the  Eorty-eighth  Regiment  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  as  its  surgeon  during  the  war,  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Shiloh,  was  captured,  subsequently  paroled  and  sent  home  He  re-entered  the 
service  and  remained  on  duty  until  the  end  of  the  war  when  he  was  again 
elected  coroner.  He  was  a useful,  public-spirited  citizen,  an  active  politician 
and  a very  successful  physician.  He  died  in  1901. 

SAMUEL  G.  ARMOR  was  born  January  29,  1819,  in  Washington 
County,  Pennsylvania.  When  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  his  parents  moved 
to  Ohio  and  sent  the  boy  to  Eranklin  College.  He  attended  the  Missouri 
Medical  College,  of  St.  Louis,  and  graduated  in  medicine  in  1844.  While  he 
was  studying  medicine,  he  was  the  pupil  of  Joseph  N.  McDowell,  Daniel 
Drake’s  bother-in-law,  who  founded  the  Missouri  Medical  College.  Armor 
practiced  in  Rockford,  111.,  for  a short  time.  In  1847  he  delivered  lectures 
on  physiology  and  pathology  in  Rush  Medical  College.  In  1849  he  became 
professor  of  physiology  and  general  pathology  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
Iowa  University.  The  following  year  he  lectured  on  natural  philosophy  in 
Cleveland  University,  a newly  founded  institution,  now  extinct.  In  1853  he 
competed  for  the  prize  offered  by  the  State  Medical  Society  of  Ohio  for  the 
best  paper  on  the  subject:  “Zymotic  Theory  of  the  Essential  Fevers.”  He  won 
the  prize.  His  prize  essay  attracted  the  attention  of  the  trustees  of  the 

220 


Medical  College  of  Ohio  who  offered  him  the  chair  of  physiology  and  path- 
ology, which  he  accepted.  The  following  year  he  was  transferred  to  the 
chair  of  practice  and  held  this  chair  until  1857  when  he  resigned  to  enter 
general  practice  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  resignation  was  prompted  by  a 
desire  to  please  his  bride  who  was  a Dayton  girl.  He  soon  tired  of  practice 
and  gladly  accepted  an  offer  in  1858  to  fill  the  chair  of  pathology  and  clin- 
ical medicine  in  his  old  Alma  Mater,  the  Missouri  Medical  College.  Three 
years  later  he  moved  to  Detroit  where  he  shared  offices  with  Moses  Gunn, 
subsequently  professor  of  surgery  at  Rush  Medical  College.  Armor  while 
practicing  in  Detroit  filled  the  chair  of  practice  and  general  pathology  in  the 
University  of  Michigan.  In  1866  he  became  professor  of  materia  medica. 


SamueIv  G.  Armor 


As  BURY  Evans 


therapeutics  and  general  pathology  in  the  Long  Island  Medical  College, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Two  years  later  he  took  the  chair  of  practice  and  became 
dean  of  the  faculty,  succeeding  the  elder  Flint.  He  remained  with  the  last- 
named  institution  until  the  time  of  his  death  which  occurred  October  27, 
1885.  He  was  buried  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Armor, 
was  for  many  years  president  of  the  Ohio  Humane  Society,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
In  1872  Dr.  Armor  was  made  Doctor  of  Laws — honoris  causa — by  Franklin 
College.  Doctor  Armor  was  a medical  teacher  by  vocation.  He  possessed 
all  the  elements  which  go  to  make  up  the  successful  professor  of  medicine : 
intense  love  of  the  subject,  a fine  presence,  a pleasing  voice  and  delivery  and 
boundless  enthusiasm  which  was  magnetic.  During  the  earlier  years  of 
his  career  he  was  restless  and  fond  of  change.  He  wanted  to  see  other  people 
and  other  towns.  This  accounts  for  his  frequent  removals  from  place  to 
place,  from  college  to  college  before  he  finally  became  permanently  anchored 
in  the  East.  While  he  wrote  extensively  for  the  medical  journals,  his  repu- 
tation rested  mainly  on  his  excellent  qualities  as  a teacher  of  medicine.  One 


221 


of  his  best  efforts  was  his  valedictory  to  the  class  of  1857  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  It  is  a splendid  exposition  of  the  philosophy  of  medicine. 
Doctor  Armor  said: 

“Our  science  is  not  made  up  of  doctrines — speculations — theories.  It  has  no  fanciful 
vagaries  or  abstract  medical  doctrines  or  speculations  to  defend.  It  is  only  a mass  of 
facts,  and  he  who  best  interprets  these  facts,  is  the  best  physician.  Hence,  I affirm,  its 
votaries  work  in  the  only  true  direction  of  a safe  and  rational  progress.  Where  facts  lead 
them,  there  they  go,  unmindful  of  any  creed,  or  doctrine,  or  school.  Legitimate  medical 
science,  therefore,  to  be  consistent  with  itself,  should  at  all  times  inculcate  a frank  and 
liberal  readiness  to  concede  all  that  is  definitely  proved  or  reasonably  sustained,  and  this 
spirit  will,  I hope,  ever  continue  to  animate  the  cultivators  of  our  time-honored  and  noble 
profession.” 

“Between  rational  medical  science,  therefore,  and  the  varied  forms  of  quackery,  this 
is  our  diagnosis:  The  latter  rests  upon  a speculation,  a theory,  or  a doctrine;  the  former 
upon  fact.  One  is  bound  down  by  an  immitigable  creed ; the  other  has  none.  The  one, 
imprisoned  within  the  narrow  limits  of  vegetable  power,  allows  some  of  the  most  valued 
remedies  of  our  materia  medica  to  lie  in  idleness,  which  might  have  changed  the  trembling 
chances  of  life ; the  other  teaches  its  votaries  to  seek  their  remedies  wherever  they  may 
find  them — in  the  treasures  of  earth  and  air  and  sea.  With  one  is  slavery  to  creeds  ; 
with  the  other  is  liberty  to  select  whatever  remedy  God  places  in  our  hands.  The  one 
inverts  the  eternal  law  of  the  human  mind,  by  making  fact  depend  upon  faith ; the  other 
makes  faith  depend  upon  fact.” 

“It  has  been  well  and  ably  argued  by  an  eminent  member  of  our  profession,  that  it 
is  this  universality  of  legitimate  medicine  that  begets  the  varied  forms  of  quackery.  To 
the  weak  and  ignorant  mind  a creed  is  necessary;  it  leans  upon  it  for  protection  from 
its  own  imbecility;  or,  in  case  of  that  form  of  intellect  which  loves  the  marvelous,  and 
is  given  over  to  an  excess  of  refinement,  it  seeks  an  anologue  in  medicine,  and  finds  in 
the  subtle  nothingness  of  Hahnemann  the  twin  sister  of  its  own  spiritual  tendencies.” 

“It  is  a curious  phase  of  mental  philosophy,  that  innate  differences  of  intellect — the 
comparative  strength  of  the  reasoning,  perceptive,  or  imaginative  faculties — govern  their 
owner  in  the  choice  of  a medical  system.  It  has  been  said  that  seven-eighths  of  the 
followers  of  Swedenborg  are  also  devotees  of  Hahnemann,  and  all  must  have  noticed  a 
similar  proclivity  in  Spiritualists  of  the  present  day.  It  is,  at  any  rate,  sufficiently  evi- 
dent that  medicine  is  not  exempt  from  the  influences  which  govern  systems  of  belief.” 

“An  important  inference  may  be  reached  from  this  view  of  the  question,  namely, 
that  legitimate  medicine  is  unsuited  to  the  peculiarities  of  certain  minds,  and  will  never 
obtain  their  confidence.  I came,  then,  gentlemen,  to  announce  to  you  the  unpleasant, 
but  I verily  believe  logical  sequence,  that  quackery  is  immortal ! — immortal  as  the  varying 
phases  of  the  human  intellect.  We  may  never  hope  to  see  the  day  when  it  will  have  no 
more  wondering  worshipers  at  its  shrine.” 

“Why,  then,  waste  our  energies  in  a useless  and  eternal  warfare  with  quackery? 
Let  the  medical  men  learn  to  cultivate  their  profession,  multiply  its  facts,  adorn  the 
pages  of  its  literature,  add  to  its  dignity,  and  still  more  to  its  usefulness,  and  let  quackery 
take  care  of  itself.” 

Doctor  Armor  was  a medical  teacher  first,  last  and  all  the  time.  He 
exemplified  in  his  life  the  immutable  fact  that  a man  can  not  teach  and  prac- 
tice medicine  at  the  same  time  without  being  either  an  inferior  teacher  or  a 
poor  practitioner  of  medicine. 

A practicing  physician  who  depends  upon  his  practice  for  a living,  should 
not  be  a medical  teacher  because  his  work  as  a teacher  would  always  be  a 

222 


side  issue.  He  could  not  possibly  do  full  justice  to  it.  The  medical  teacher 
should  not  compete  with  those  who  practice.  His  field  of  operation  should 
be  the  lecture  room,  the  public  hospital,  the  laboratory.  The  teacher  should 
have  nothing  to  do  with  medicine  as  a business.  Natural  aptitude  and  edu- 
cational qualification  should  be  his  equipment.  A suitable  salary  should  give 
him  the  mental  repose  and  concentration  which  the  cultivation  of  medicine  as 
a science  requires.  The  problem  of  medical  education  in  Cincinnati  and  else- 
where will  not  be  solved  until  medical  teachers  are  made  to  fit  chairs  instead 
of  chairs  being  expected  to  fit  the  occupants. 

THOMAS  WOOD,  surgeon,  inventor,  journalist,  litterateur,  poet,  pic- 
turesque and  unique  character,  was  the  type  of  the  gifted  and  lovable  men 
that  gave  Cincinnati  much  of  her  glory  as  a medical  center.  There  is  not 
one  of  the  older  members  of  the  profession  today  whose  eyes  do  not  brighten 
up  at  the  mention  of  “Tom”  Wood,  whom  everybody  loved  and  respected. 
There  was  a suggestion  of  strength  in  the  makeup  of  these  men  of  bygone 
days.  The  secret  of  their  power  as  leaders  and  models  of  men  seems  to  have 
been  buried  with  them.  Their  wonderful  skill  in  controlling  and  inspiring 
men  seems  to  be  one  of  the  lost  arts. 

Thomas  Wood  was  born  in  Smithfield,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  in  1814. 
His  father  was  a well-to-do  farmer  who  gave  his  son  all  the  educational  ad- 
vantages which  the  schools  of  his  vicinity  afforded.  Young  Wood  took  his 
medical  degree  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1839  and  spent  three 
years  as  an  interne  in  an  asylum  for  the  insane,  conducted  by  the  Quakers  in 
Philadelphia.  He  located  in  his  native  town  after  his  return  from  the  East 
and  remained  there  until  1844  when,  after  a trip  to  Europe,  he  decided  to 
move  to  Cincinnati.  He  soon  acquired  a reputation  as  a fearless  and  re- 
sourceful surgeon.  In  1850  he  was  lecturer  on  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati 
Medical  Institute,  a Summer  school  which  was  conducted  by  such  men  as 
L.  M.  Lawson,  George  Mendenhall  and  others.  In  1853  he  became  the  suc- 
cessor of  Wm.  H.  Cobb,  the  son  of  the  great  Jedediah,  as  demonstrator  of 
anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1855  he  was  appointed  pro- 
fessor of  anatomy.  In  1857  the  chair  of  anatomy  was  divided  between  Wood 
and  Jesse  Judkins,  the  former  teaching  surgical  anatomy,  while  descriptive 
anatomy  was  assigned  to  the  latter.  In  1858  microscopy  was  added  to  Wood’s 
subject.  Things  did  not  just  suit  Wood  and  he  resigned  in  the  Spring  of 
1859,  one  year  before  the  great  climax  which  consisted  in  every  professor 
with  the  exception  of  Blackman  resigning.  When  the  war  broke  out.  Wood 
offered  his  services  to  his  country  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  medical  and 
surgical  work  in  the  field  and  in  the  hospitals.  After  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
he  contracted  blood  poisoning  and  had  to  have  one  thumb  removed  to  save 
his  life.  After  the  war  he  lectured  on  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery. 


223 


As  a surgeon  Wood’s  reputation  was  second  only  to  that  of  Blackman. 
He  performed  the  first  hysterectomy  in  Cincinnati  and  for  a number  of  years 
had  the  largest  record  of  operations  of  this  kind  in  the  Middle  West.  He 
performed  a hip  joint  amputation  October  2,  1871  in  the  new  Cincinnati 
Hospital.  It  was  the  first  operation  in  the  institution  which  two  hours  before 
the  operation  had  been  formally  dedicated  and  .opened,  Dr.  M.  B.  Wright 
delivering  the  introductory  address.  After  a terrible  wreck  on  the  C.  H.  & 
D.  Railroad,  which  occurred  October  20,  1880,  Doctor  Wood  took  charge  of 
the  injured  and  had  the  misfortune  of  being  infected.  After  fully  thirty 
days  of  suffering  he  died,  a martyr  at  the  post  of  duty. 

Wood  led  a very  active  professional  life.  He  lectured  on  anatomy  in 
the  Ohio  Dental  College  for  a number  of  years.  He  was  a liberal  contributor 
to  the  medical  press  and  edited  the  “Western  Lancet”  after  L.  M.  Lawson 
had  retired  from  the  editorial  chair.  His  style  was  always  original,  virile  and 
incisive.  What  he  wrote,  was  clear-cut  and  to  the  point.  His  manner  of 
presentation  was  characteristic  of  the  man,  impulsive,  sometimes  delightfully 
humorous,  at  other  times  suggestive  of  a sledge  hammer.  Wood  tried  his 
hand  successfully  at  novel  writing.  His  “Legend  of  the  Great  Mound”  was 
published  in  a Cincinnati  weekly  in  1849.  In  his  earlier  years  Wood  was 
as  ready  and  skillful  in  the  use  of  his  fists  as  he  was  in  wielding  the  pen. 
In  1853  when  a public  meeting  of  the  physicians  of  the  city  was  held  for  the 
purpose  of  discussing  the  alleged  mismanagement  of  the  Commercial  Hos- 
pital, the  Ohio  College  was  denounced  on  all  sides.  The  friends  of  the  Miami 
College  and  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  did  their  best 
to  add  to  the  embarrassment  of  the  college.  M.  B.  Wright,  who  at  that  time 
was  at  loggerheads  with  the  Ohio  Faculty,  made  a caustic  and  denunciatory 
speech  against  the  Ohio  College.  The  cause  of  the  latter  seemed  lost.  At 
this  moment  Wood  who  had  but  recently  become  a professor  in  the  Ohio 
College,  sprang  to  his  feet  and  openly  challenged  Wright  to  an  immediate 
fisticufif  engagement  then  and  there  to  settle  the  matter.  Wright  who  him- 
self had  a reputation  along  pugilistic  lines,  replied  that  he  did  not  care  to 
disgrace  the  meeting,  but  that  he  was  ready  to  accommodate  Wood  after  the 
meeting.  Fortunately  friends  interfered.  This  incident  illustrates  Wood’s 
emotional  temperament  and  his  loyalty  to  the  Ohio  College. 

Wood  invented  an  instrument  called  the  “Lineal  Mensurator”  for  which 
he  was  granted  a patent.  The  purpose  of  the  instrument  was  to  enable  anyone 
to  find  the  exact  number  of  square  feet  in  any  piece  of  ground,  however 
irregular  in  outline.  The  instrument  consisted  of  a small  glass,  in  the  shape 
of  a wedge,  possessing  the  power  of  refracting  the  rays  of  light  at  a certain 
angle,  thereby  causing  the  image  of  any  object  to  appear  at  a small  distance, 
either  to  the  right  or  left,  above  or  below  the  real  object,  according  as  the 
glass  was  held. 

Wood  was  immensely  popular  among  the  people  of  Cincinnati,  mainly 
on  account  of  his  rugged,  honest  manner  and  his  kindness  to  the  poor.  An- 

224 


other  accomplishment — last,  but  not  least — of  this  versatile  man  was  his 
poetical  talent.  He  left  quite  a number  of  unpublished  poems,  many  of 
which  are  well  conceived  and  beautifully  written.  Some  are  humorous,  a 
few  are  didactic,  but  most  of  them  were  inspired  by  his  admiration  for  and 
devotion  to  woman.  Wood,  like  all  good  men,  loved  the  ladies  and  apos- 
trophized them  in  many  well-worded  poetic  effusions. 

JOHN  A.  WARDER  was  for  twenty  years  one  of  the  most  eminent 
physicians  in  Cincinnati  and  had  at  the  time  of  his  death  risen  to  national 
prominence  as  a naturalist.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1812  and  ab- 
sorbed a deep  love  for  and  interest  in  Nature  when  a boy  in  his  father’s 
house,  where  Audubon  and  other  famous  naturalists  were  daily  visitors.  In 


Thomas  Wood  John  A.  Warder 


1830  the  family  moved  to  Springfield,  Ohio.  In  1834  young  Warder  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia  to  attend  Jefferson  Medical  College.  He  graduated 
in  1836.  The  following  year  he  located  in  Cincinnati  and  began  to  practice 
his  profession.  During  his  residence  in  Cincinnati  he  was  not  only  an  en- 
thusiastic and  successful  member  of  the  profession,  but  a public-spirited  and 
energetic  citizen.  He  was  for  several  years  a member  of  the  School  Board 
and  gave  much  of  his  time  and  labor  to  the  problems  of  hygiene  and  sani- 
tation in  the  schools.  He  traveled  extensively  to  study  problems  of  school 
construction,  methods  of  instruction  and  educational  systems,  and  worked 
incessantly  to  introduce  the  best  and  most  advanced  ideas  in  the  schools  of 
Cincinnati.  He  was  an  active  member  of  most  scientific  societies  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  especially  the  Cincinnati  Natural  History  Society  and 
served  as  a member  of  the  Ohio  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  He  was  a 
practical  landscape  gardener  and  helped  in  the  establishment  of  that  beautiful 
sample  of  landscape  gardening,  Spring  Grove  Cemetery.  As  early  as  1850 

225 


he  suggested  and  designed  a park  system  for  Cincinnati  and,  with  all  his 
energy,  helped  in  the  popularization  of  flowers,  lawns  and  trees  for  the  in- 
telligent decoration  of  homes.  In  1853  he  enriched  botanical  science  by  his 
description  of  the  Catalpa  Speciosa,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  valuable 
forest  trees,  as  a separate  species.  To  the  profession  he  gave  his  translation 
of  Trousseau  and  Belloe’s  ‘‘Laryngeal  Phthisis.”  Most  of  his  writings  per- 
tained to  botany  and  practical  forestry.  The  latter  subject  was  particularly 
dear  to  his  heart.  As  a scientific  as  well  as  a practical  exponent  of  forestry 
he  became  a national  figure.  In  1873  he  was  United  States  Commissioner  to 
the  Vienna  Exposition  and  submitted  an  official  report  on  forests  and  for- 
estry which  gave  a tremendous  impetus  to  the  forestry  movement  in  this 
country.  His  practical  papers  on  hedging,  pomology,  vineyard  culture  and 
similar  subjects  have  lost  none  of  their  value  since  they  were  written.  In 
1857  he  left  Cincinnati  and  moved  to  North  Bend,  Ohio,  where  he  estab- 
lished a home  surrounded  by  a model  garden  and  farm.  In  this  little  para- 
dise, in  the  closest  communion  with  Nature,  he  sought  and  found  the  happi- 
ness which  he  had  looked  for  in  vain  in  the  society  of  man.  Men  are  to  be 
envied  who  can  make  realities  out  of  the  ideals  of  rustic  peace  and  content- 
ment so  beautifully  pictured  by  Horace  (Ep.  11). 

John  A.  Warder  was  a loyal  friend  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  a 

time  when  the  institution  urgently  needed  help  and  support.  He  held  the 
chair  of  chemistry  and  toxicology  during  three  terms  (1854-’57).  His  active 
and  useful  life  came  to  a close  in  1883.  He  rests  in  North  Bend  beneath  the 
soil  for  whose  appreciation  and  cultivation  he  had  done  so  much.  He  was 

the  last  one  in  that  noble  line  of  great  naturalists  like  Drake,  Kirtland  and 

Locke  that  have  added  so  much  lustre  to  the  history  of  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio. 

T.  N.  MARSHALL  was  born  in  Augusta,  Ky.,  in  1809.  He  received 
his  literary  education  at  Augusta  College,  a reputed  classical  school  of  those 
days.  He  graduated  in  1829  and  came  to  Cincinnati  to  attend  lectures  at  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  took  his  second  course  in  the  University  of 
Philadelphia  where  he  received  his  degree  in  1833.  He  located  in  Au- 
gusta, but,  in  search  of  a larger  and  more  promising  field,  came  to  Cincin- 
nati in  1841  with  Dr.  Talliaferro,  his  friend  and  preceptor.  He  was  a cul- 
tured and  very  ambitious  man  who  soon  attracted  a large  patronage.  In 
1853  he  was  asked  to  fill  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and 
children  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  thus  becoming  the  successor  of  the 
distinguished  Landon  C.  Rives.  Marshall  was  a .popular  and  very  able 
teacher  whose  work  during  four  sessions  helped  materially  to  restore  the 
reputation  of  the  school  which  had  begun  to  suffer  owing  to  the  continuous 
internal  entanglements.  Marshall  was  an  enthusiast  who  was  thoroughly  in 
love  with  his  work  and  knew  how  to  inspire  the  students.  He  was  by  far 
the  most  eloquent  man  in  the  faculty.  During  the  session  1857-’58  Mar- 


226 


shall's  health  began  to  fail.  He  moved  to  a farm  in  Kentucky  in  the  Spring 
of  1858,  but  grew  rapidly  worse.  He  died  June  7,  1858.  His  successor  in 
the  college  was  George  Mendenhall. 

GEORGE  CURTIS  BLACKMAN  whose  claim  to  the  foremost  place 
among  the  many  who  have  wielded  the  scalpel  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  during 
the  first  century  of  the  latter’s  history,  has  never  been  questioned,  was  a 
product  of  New  England,  having  been  born  in  Newtown,  Conn.,  April  21, 
1819,  as  the  second  son  of  Thomas  Blackman  who  was  for  years  judge  of 
the  Surrogate  Court.  It  seems  a strangely  suggestive  coincidence  that  the 
same  year  gave  birth  to  the  great  school  whose  master  surgeon  he  was 
destined  to  become.  He  came  from  sturdy  Puritan  stock  and,  like  his  fathers, 
spent  his  life  a ceaseless  toiler,  poor  in  purse  but  rich  in  the  achievements 


George  Curtis  Beackman 


of  brain  and  heart,  leaving  to  posterity  the  priceless  legacy  of  an  honored 
name  and  the  example  of  a career  of  unparalleled  brilliancy. 

Little  is  known  concerning  Blackman’s  childhood  and  early  adolescence. 
His  preliminary  education  was  obtained  at  preparatory  schools  in  his  native 
town,  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  and  in  Newbury,  N.  Y.  He  was  a precocious 
youngster,  fond  of  reading  and  study.  He  entered  Yale  College  in  1834. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  became  a student  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  of  the  City  of  New  York,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
in  1840.  While  at  College  he  was  a student  in  the  office  of  Willard  Parker 
who  a few  years  previously  had  been  associated  with  Drake,  Gross  and  others 
in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.  Blackman  returned  to 
his  native  town  to  practice  his  profession,  but  ultimately  located  at  New- 
burgh, Orange  County,  New  York.  He  soon  acquired  the  reputation  of  being 
the  best  read  physician  in  that  vicinity. 


227 


His  thirst  for  knowledge  awakened  in  him  the  desire  to  visit  England 
and  the  Continent.  With  seventy-five  dollars  in  his  pocket  he  started  out  on 
his  voyage.  When  he  arrived  in  London,  the  Mecca  of  his  long-cherished 
hopes,  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  great  masters  and  see  and  hear  what  was  going 
on  in  and  near  one  of  the  world’s  great  surgical  centers,  he  was  rich,  indeed, 
in  the  things  that  count  in  the  world  of  ideals,  in  the  realm  of  intellectual 
achievements,  but  his  pockets  were  empty  and  his  stomach  painfully  void. 
Is  it  not  a bitter  irony  of  the  existence  of  clay  born  man  that  the  loftiest 
flights  of  genius  and  the  greatest  achievements  of  intellect,  in  their  influence 
on  the  trend  of  human  afifairs,  are  mere  bagatelles  compared  to  the  cadaverous 
eloquence  of  a gnawing  stomach  or  a torpid  liver?  It  is,  indeed,  pathetic  to 
think  of  Blackman,  unquestionably  one  of  Nature’s  favorite  children,  pur- 
chasing two  or  three  dry  rolls  a day  to  satisfy  the  importunate  pleading  of  an 
empty  stomach,  while  his  soul  was  drinking  deeply  from  the  Pierian  spring. 
He  carefully  kept  his  plight  from  his  teachers  who  had  learnt  to  respect  the 
young  American’s  vast  knowledge.  Some  of  his  teachers  were  among  the 
most  famous  surgeons  of  the  day,  notably  Sir  William  Fergusson,  of  St. 
Bartholomew’s  Hospital.  Mr.  George  Pollock,  of  St.  George’s  Hospital, 
was  very  fond  of  Blackman  and  showed  his  great  regard  for  him  in  many 
ways.  One  day,  it  was  during  an  unusually  severe  Winter,  Blackman  did 
not  put  in  an  appearance  at  St.  Bartholomew’s.  Another  day  came  and  still 
another,  Blackman  did  not  appear.  His  teachers,  particularly  Sir  William 
Fergusson,  were  anxious  about  him  and  instituted  a search.  They  found 
him  in  a cheap  lodging  house  in  an  ice  cold  room,  snugly  enfolded  in  his 
bed  clothes  and  absorbed  in  study.  He  had  not  left  the  house  on  account  of 
the  cold  weather  and,  being  too  poor  to  buy  fuel,  had  spent  his  time  in  bed, 
with  his  books  to  keep  him  company.  His  English  friends  were  deeply 
touched  by  this  display  of  heroic  devotion  to  science  amid  the  bitterest  priva- 
tions and  did  everything  in  their  power  to  relieve  his  wretched  condition.  In 
view  of  such  heroism  who  would  begrudge  Blackman  the  honored  place 
which  his  contemporaries,  but  more  especially  posterity,  have  accorded  him 
among  the  teachers  and  masters  of  surgery  in  America? 

In  his  youth  he  was  of  frail  build  and  frequently  sufifered  from  attacks  of 
bronchial  trouble  and  pleurisy.  Assiduous  application  to  his  medical  studies 
while  at  college  had  impaired  his  health  considerably,  and  much  apprehen- 
sion was  felt  by  the  many  who  knew  and  esteemed  the  indefatigable  young 
physician.  It  was  thought  that  he  was  suffering  from  consumption  of  the 
lungs.  Young  Blackman  decided  that  a change  in  his  environments  and 
habits  was  imperatively  necessary  for  the  restoration  of  his  health.  He  made 
application  for  the  position  of  ship  surgeon,  and,  having  received  the  appoint- 
ment, spent  the  five  subsequent  years  of  his  life  in  the  service  of  the  old 
Collins  Line,  whose  steamships  were  the  first  to  make  regular  trips  between 
New  York  and  Havre  (France).  His  health  improved  steadily.  During  his 
long  trips  across  the  Atlantic  he  devoted  much  time  to  becoming  familiar 

228 


with  the  literature  of  surgery,  as  presented  by  the  contemporaneous  text- 
books and  journals  of  the  United  States,  England  and  France.  He  was  a 
lover  of  the  French  language  and  by  continuous  practice  acquired  great 
dexterity  in  its  use.  He  was  an  omnivorous  reader  and  student.  His  ever- 
increasing  enthusiasm  in  his  favorite  line  of  scientific  work,  backed  up  by  a 
splendid  preliminary  education,  a keen  native  intellect  and  an  unfailing 
memory,  made  him  a master  at  a time  when  most  men  have  hardly  become 
conscious  of  an  inclination  in  any  special  direction.  The  five  years  spent  on 
board  the  Collins  steamships  developed  that  fine  surgical  instinct  that  was  so 
characteristic  a trait  of  Blackman’s  subsequent  career.  His  zeal  knew  no 
bounds.  In  New  York  he  would  gather  up  all  the  new  books  and  journals 
that  he  could  procure.  By  the  time  he  arrived  in  Havre,  the  contents  of 
those  books  and  journals  had  become  a part  of  Blackman’s  ever  working, 
never-resting  mind.  Blackman’s  was  not  a mere  bibliographic  mind.  He 
did  not  store  facts  and  figures  away  as  a dead  ballast  to  a burdened  brain. 
His  mind  breathed  the  very  soul  of  life  into  them.  They  were  living  quan- 
tities within  him,  with  definite  relations  to  all  other  facts  and  figures  that  had 
preceded  or  would  follow  them.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Havre  he  would  hurry 
to  Paris,  ransack  the  shops  and  publishing  houses  for  surgical  books.  Laden 
with  his  newly  acquired  treasures  he  would  return  to  his  ship  and  to  his 
studies.  He  made  nearly  forty  trips  of  this  kind,  not  including  two  or  three 
trips  to  South  America  on  a sailing  vessel. 

When  Blackman  returned  to  his  native  land  and  located  in  New  York, 
he  began  a career  of  unparalleled  productiveness  as  an  operator  and  more 
especially  as  a writer.  He  became  a regular  contributor  to  the  leading  med- 
ical journals  of  the  country  and  by  his  incisive  and  forceful  style,  his  ver- 
satility and  resourcefulness,  and  his  never  failing  familiarity  with  the  lit- 
erature of  surgical  art  and  science,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  leaders  of 
surgical  thought  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  He  became  in  a very  short  time 
one  of  the  most  widely  quoted  surgical  authorities  in  the  United  States.  Sir 
William  Fergusson,  whose  treatise  on  practical  surgery  appeared  in 
1853,  refers  to  Blackman  frequently  in  his  great  work.  Dr.  Samuel  D.  Gross 
who  was  at  that  time  teaching  surgery  in -Louisville,  quotes  Blackman  freely 
in  his  treatise  on  the  “Urinary  Organs.”  Dr.  Reuben  D.  Mussey  regarded 
Blackman,  even  as  early  as  1854,  “an  operator  of  the  first  stamp  who  has  but 
few  equals.”  Dr.  Willard  Parker,  his  erstwhile  preceptor,  who,  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  had  been  the  colleague  of  the  peer- 
less Drake,  and  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  teachers  of  surgery 
of  his  time  as  the  incumbent  of  the  chair  of  surgery  at  the  New  York  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  considered  Blackman,  then  a general  sur- 
geon in  New  York,  the  best  all-around  surgeon  of  his  age  in  the  United 
States.  What  had  Blackman,  then  hardly  thirty-five  years  of  age,  done  to 
merit  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  the  foremost  surgeons  of  his  time?  His 
habits  as  a practitioner  of  surgery  were  those  of  the  student  of  surgery  of 


229 


years  gone  by.  He  worked  and  studied  incessantly  and  was  ever  on  the 
alert  lest  even  the  slightest  new  thought  should  escape  his  watchful  eye. 
He  entered  with  his  whole  heart  and  soul  into  his  work  and  the  latter,  in 
return,  became  a part  of  his  inner  self.  He  believed  in  his  work  because  he 
believed  in  himself.  No  man  whose  thoughts  and  actions  are  animated  by 
the  spirit  of  truth  emanating  from  the  soul  within,  can  possibly  fail.  Therein 
lies  the  secret  of  Blackman’s  remarkable  rise  in  a comparatively  short  time. 
Added  to  his  altruistic  love  of  surgery  was  his  great  admiration  for  the  good 
work  of  others.  In  1853  he  translated  Vidal’s  “Treatise  on  Syphilis,  a most 
remarkable  work  of  that  time.  Blackman’s  frequent  visits  to  Paris  caused 
him  to  become  a great  admirer  of  the  great  French  surgeon,  Velpeau,  whose 
epoch-making  work  on  “Operative  Surgery”  was  enjoying  a world-wide 
popularity.  Blackman  translated  the  work  and  adapted  it  to  the  wants  of 
American  surgeons.  There  are  not  a few  that  consider  Blackman’s  Amer- 
ican edition  of  Velpeau,  in  three  large  volumes,  the  translator’s  greatest  claim 
to  recognition. 

Blackman’s  reputation  at  that  time  was  not  entirely  earned  by  his  literary 
labors.  He  was  recognized  as  a bold  and  brilliant  operator.  He  had  per- 
formed all  the  more  ordinary  operations  and  had  done  quite  a few  that  chal- 
lenged the  admiration  of  so  critical  a gentleman  as  Samuel  D.  Gross.  While 
Blackman’s  career  as  a surgeon  of  national  prominence  began  with  his  ap- 
pointment to  the  chair  of  surgery  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  he  had 
previously  tied  both  carotids  in  one  patient,  had  resected  the  upper  and  lower 
jaws,  had  twice  trephined  the  spine  and  had  successfully  performed  Bras- 
dor’s  operation  for  aneurism  of  the  innominate  artery.  Considering  the  time 
when  these  operations  were  performed,  no  one  can  deny  the  skill  and  daring 
of  this  young  surgeon  who  confidently  marched  in  the  advance  guard  of  the 
pioneers  and  helped  to  blaze  the  way  for  future  surgical  progress. 

In  1854,  owing  to  the  resignation  of  Asbury  Evans,  the  chair  of  surgery 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  became  vacant.  The  frequent  changes  in  the 
personnel  of  the  faculty  had  injured  the  school  considerably.  Then  there 
was  the  growing  discontent  among  the  profession,  many  members  of  which 
were  in  sympathy  with  the  seceding  professors  who,  under  the  leadership  of 
the  distinguished  Mussey,  had  withdrawn  from  the  mother  school  and  had 
established  a rival  institution  (Miami  Medical  College).  The  friends  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  realized  that  a surgeon  and  teacher  of  the  first 
rank  would  have  to  take  the  vacant  chair  at  the  Ohio  school  in  order  to 
counteract  the  great  magnetism  of  Mussey’s  name.  Samuel  D.  Gross  was 
offered  the  chair  but  declined.  He  had  become  well  established  in  Louis- 
ville and  had  not  altogether  forgotten  his  varied  experiences  in  Cincinnati. 
He  strongly  urged  the  trustees  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  to  appoint 
George  C.  Blackman,  of  New  York. 

Blackman  located  in  Cincinnati  in  1855.  His  position  at  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege together  with  the  great  reputation  which  had  preceded  him,  at  once 


230 


made  him  a shining  mark  in  the  profession  of  the  Middle  West.  He  easily 
acquired  an  enormous  surgical  practice.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  Black- 
man has  never  been  equalled,  much  less  excelled  as  a dashing,  bold  and  tre- 
mendously self-confident  operator  by  any  of  his  contemporaries  or  successors 
in  the  West.  He  was  a great  surgeon,  using  the  adjective  in  its  absolute 
sense,  perhaps  the  only  really  great  surgeon  whom  the  Ohio  Valley  has  seen, 
to  quote  the  words  of  Dr.  P.  S.  Conner  who  never  tired  of  extolling  the 
genius  of  that  great  surgeon  and  emphatically  stated  that  no  American  sur- 
geon would  have  been  better  qualified  to  represent  American  surgery  in 
Europe  with  credit  to  himself  and  glory  to  the  entire  American  medical 
profession  than  George  C.  Blackman.  He  was  the  kind  of  an  operator  that 
could  inspire  confidence  and  enthusiasm  in  his  students.  He  was  quick, 
fearless,  precise,  resourceful  and  seemed  to  grow  with  the  increasing  diffi- 
culty and  responsibility  of  his  task.  He  was  at  his  best  in  the  operating 
amphitheater  with  a difficult  surgical  case  before  him  and  five  hundred  med- 
ical students  watching  him.  The  annals  of  the  old  Commercial  and  St.  John’s 
Hospitals  bear  witness  to  the  great  surgical  skill  and  working  capacity  of  this 
marvelously  endowed  man.  His  operations  covered  the  entire  field  of  general 
surgery.  Like  many  great  operators  he  disliked  the  details  of  the  after- 
treatment.  He  was  essentially  an  operating  surgeon  and  as  such  he  excelled. 

It  is  but  fair  to  mention  the  service  he  rendered  during  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  in  his  capacity  as  brigade  surgeon  of  volunteers,  especially  after 
the  battleai  of  Pittsburg  Landing  arM  Shiloh.  Thousands  of  wounded  sol- 
diers were  brought  to  Cincinnati  from  the  battlefields  of  the  South  to  receive 
attention  at  the  military  emergency  hospitals  of  which  there  were  quite  a 
number  in  and  near  Cincinnati.  Dr.  J.  C.  Reeve,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  his 
assistant  and  companion  on  a number  of  trips  to  the  battlefields.  He  accom- 
panied Blackman  when  the  latter  went  to  Pittsburg  Landing  on  a chartered 
steamer  which  brought  many  wounded  soldiers  to  Cincinnati.  Many  opera- 
tions were  performed  on  board  the  hospital  ship  by  Blackman,  Doctor  Reeve 
giving  the  anaesthetic.  Blackman  one  day  caught  a negro  waiter  exacting  a 
tip  from  a soldier.  Without  regard  to  the  military  regulations,  he  proceeded 
to  kick  the  negro  the  whole  length  of  the  deck.  Blackman  did  splendid  work 
on  behalf  of  his  country  but  never  succeeded  in  changing  his  mind  about 
military  discipline  which  he  utterly  and  absolutely  despised.  He  served  on 
the  staff  of  General  Nelson  and  afterwards  on  that  of  General  McClellan. 

As  a teacher  Blackman  displayed  all  the  wonderful  resourcefulness  which 
familiarity  with  the  literature  of  surgery  had  given  him.  He  was  not  a 
successful  teacher  for  students  whose  minds  were  untrained,  and,  therefore, 
unprepared.  He  would  have  made  an  ideal  teacher  for  physicians  doing  post- 
graduate work.  His  wonderful  control  of  the  whole  subject  of  surgery  and 
the  rapidity  with  which  he  would  evolve  principles  and  crystallize  them  into 
facts,  drawing  his  illustrations  and  deductions  from  the  whole  domain  of 
surgical  science,  made  his  lectures  appear  fragmentary  and  unsystematic. 


231 


Blackman  was  apt  to  take  too  much  for  granted  in  his  listeners,  expected  them 
to  link  the  loosely  connected  parts  of  his  argument,  and  thus  shot  over  the 
heads  of  immature  students.  His  discourse  was  scholarly,  his  reasoning 
rapid,  his  characterizations  terse.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  he  was  a 
better  clinical  than  didactic  teacher. 

In  discussing  surgical  topics  before  the  class,  he  was  at  his  best  when 
inspired  by  the  case  before  him.  Then  he  would  develop  a marvelous  re- 
sourcefulness as  an  extemporaneous  speaker.  He  disliked  the  hum-drum  of 
didactic  lectures,  with  their  cut-and-dried  order  of  subjects.  At  times  he 
showed  a strange  timidity  before  going  into  the  lecture  room.  This  was  in 
peculiar  contrast  with  his  magnificent  appearance  as  an  operator  with  a 
difficult  operative  case  before  him. 

As  a man  Blackman  possessed  many  traits  that  endeared  him  to  his  sub- 
ordinates and  to  the  profession.  To  his  friends  he  was  fair-minded,  warm- 
hearted and  loyal.  Coupled  with  these  characteristics  were  other  less  de- 
sirable traits  that  one,  however,  could  expect  to  find  in  a man  of  quick 
impulses  and  a fiery  temperament.  Physically  he  was  a big,  square,  heavy- 
set,  substantial  man  with  a solid  tread.  His  complexion  was  dark-colored, 
his  forehead  broad  and  low.  He  had  a heavy  suit  of  coal  black  hair  which 
he  would  toss  back  from  his  face  in  a moment  of  impatience  as  a lion  would 
his  mane.  His  face  was  massive  and  square,  his  chin  heavy-set  and  firm. 
His  eyes  were  dark,  large  and  lustrous.  He  had  a deep,  rich  voice  and  a well 
nigh  inexhaustible  vocabulary  which  he  used  with  the  consummate  skill  of 
the  accomplished  scholar.  Working  under  tremendous  nervous  pressure  at 
all  times,  he  was  easily  irritated  and  under  these  circumstances  hard  to 
handle.  The  constant  drain  on  his  vital  energy  made  him  crave  stimulation. 
Thus  he  became  a ravenous  consumer  of  large  quantities  of  tissue-building 
foods  and  stimulating  beverages.  His  stomach  eventually  became  the  shrine 
at  which  he  worshiped.  That  his  digestive  apparatus  frequently  revolted  and 
made  him  suffer  all  the  physical  discomfort  and  mental  anguish  of  severe 
bilious  attacks,  was  not  surprising.  Under  these  conditions  he  often  was 
ill-tempered,  violent,  dictatorial,  jealous,  suspicious  or  melancholy.  His  as- 
sociates in  the  faculty  found  him  a hard  man  to  get  along  with,  all  on  account 
of  his  unbalanced  temperament.  He  could  not  tolerate  the  yoke  of  exacting, 
conventional  discipline.  One  or  the  other  of  his  colleagues  was  always  up  in 
arms  against  the  uncompromising  Blackman  and  his  variable  moods.  In 
1860  he  took  his  stand  against  all  his  colleagues  and  refused  to  surrender. 
They  all  resigned  and  left  him  in  the  possession  of  the  field.  Professor  Gra- 
ham seems  to  have  been  the  only  member  of  the  faculty  whose  friendly  rela- 
tions with  Blackman  remained  undisturbed  even  during  the  trying  times  of 
1860.  Doctor  Bartholow  did  not  seem  to  possess  the  gift  of  adaptability  in 
dealing  with  his  irascible  colleague.  The  serio-comic  controversy  between 
Bartholow  and  Blackman  in  1866  which  was  precipitated  by  Blackman  bring- 
ing the  charge  of  plagiarism  against  Bartholow,  created  much  excitement 


232 


among  the  friends  of  the  two  principals.  Bartholow  had  published  an  ar- 
ticle in  the  Cincinnati  Journal  of  Medicine  on  “Progressive  Locomotor 
Ataxia,”  only  recently  dif¥erentiated  from  other  forms  of  disease,  the  article 
being  accompanied  by  a statement  that  the  author  (Bartholow)  had  made 
liberal  use  of  the  prize  essay  of  M.  Paul  Topinard  on  the  same  subject. 
Blackman,  on  a previous  occasion,  had  been  much  annoyed  by  Bartholow’s 
sarcastic  reference  to  the  “Handbook  of  Military  Surgery”  written  by  Trip- 
ler  and  Blackman.  Bartholow  had  hinted  at  plagiarism  having  been  com- 
mitted by  Blackman  and  Tripler  and  had  referred  to  Messrs.  Guthrie  and 
McLeod’s  “Surgical  History  of  the  Crimean  War”  as  the  source  whence 
Tripler  and  Blackman  had  liberally  borrowed  the  contents  of  their  hand- 
book. Blackman  was  aching  for  a chance  to  even  up  old  scores  with 
Bartholow,  and  published  a pamphlet  in  which  he  opened  the  flood  gates  of 
his  sarcasm  at  the  expense  of  Bartholow  and  the  latter’s  alleged  plagiarism. 
Bartholow’s  admission  that  liberal  use  had  been  made  of  M.  Topinard’s 
paper,  Blackman  met  with  the  incontrovertible  statement  that  there  was  a 
world  of  difference  between  a liberal  and  a literal  use  of  a reference.  Bar- 
tholow in  defense  published  a pamphlet  in  which  he  refers  to  Blackman’s 
“vanity,  egotism,  self-assertion,  jealous  impertinence,  meddling”  and  states 
that  “Blackman  had  been  quarreling  with  everybody,  including  God  Al- 
mighty, and  that-  the  cause  of  the  present  difficulty  was  Blackman’s  insane 
envy  of  Bartholow  who  had  won  the  Jewett  and  Russell  prizes,  etc.,  etc.” 
The  undignified  spectacle  of  two  members  of  the  same  faculty  abusing  each 
other  eoram  publico  was  finally  brought  to  a close  by  the  other  members  of 
the  faculty,  who  insisted  upon  the  matter  being  promptly  adjusted. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Blackman  in  moments  of  morbid  excitement  said 
and  did  many  things  that  he  afterwards  deeply  regretted.  He  was  not  a 
well  man.  This  accounts  for  his  variable  moods.  He  was  morbidly  sensi- 
tive and  frequently  brooded  over  fancied  troubles.  Again  he  was  genial, 
cheerful  and  even  gay  and  playful.  He  could  not  tolerate  restraint  or  con- 
tradiction. His  self-confidence  seemed  to  grow  during  the  performance  of  a 
difficult  and  bloody  surgical  operation.  Yet  he  fainted  one  day  in  the  lower 
amphitheater  of  the  college  when  a vivisection  was  performed  on  a pigeon. 
In  the  practical  affairs  of  life  he  was  as  helpless  as  a child.  He  did  not 
seem  to  know  or  appreciate  the  value  of  money.  Thus  he  often  found  him- 
self in  very  distressed  circumstances.  When  he  died,  after  a long  illness, 
July  17,  1871,  of  a complication  of  stomach  and  liver  troubles,  he  left  his 
family  destitute.  With  a little  practical  sense  he  might  have  died  a wealthy 
man.  He  was  buried  from  his  residence  on  Glenwood  Avenue,  Avondale, 
and  laid  to  rest  in  beautiful  Spring  Grove. 

In  many  ways  Blackman  showed  an  unobtrusive  and  modest  temperament 
which  his  antagonists,  however,  never  had  a chance  to  observe.  While  on  a 
visit  to  New  York  in  the  sixties  he  was  the  recipient  of  many  attentions  at 
the  hands  of  the  profession.  He  was  the  guest  of  honor  at  a banquet  which 

233 


was  attended  by  nearly  every  surgeon  of  prominence  in  New  York.  Black- 
man was  called  upon  to  speak  but  asked  to  be  excused.  When,  however,  one 
of  the  speakers,  in  referring  to  Ephraim  McDowell,  questioned  the  priority 
of  the  latter’s  operation  and  gave  credit  to  Mr.  John  Lizars,  of  Edinburgh, 
Blackman  could  not  sit  still  any  longer.  He  arose  and  in  his  own  inimitable 
style  gave  the  history  of  McDowell’s  work  so  completely  and  in  so  master- 
ful a manner  that  the  entire  audience  jumped  to  its  feet  and  cheered  Black- 
man to  the  echo.  He  had  spoken  over  an  hour  and  without  preparation. 
When  the  surgery  of  the  West  and  its  glorious  records  were  questioned,  the 
thought  of  self  was  consumed  by  the  fire  of  patriotism.  He  thought  of  the 
West  that  had  made  him  great  and  to  whose  glory  he  himself  had  contrib- 
uted so  liberally. 

Blackman  was  a prolific  writer  and  much  esteemed  as  such.  Gross  and 
other  authors  of  surgical  works  quoted  him  frequently.  His  edition  of  Vel- 
peau was  a monumental  work.  The  “Handbook  for  the  Military  Surgeon’^ 
which  he  brought  out  (1861)  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Chas.  S.  Tripler,  a 
surgeon  in  the  United  States  Army,  who  had  for  three  years  lectured  on 
military  surgery  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  a small  but  practical 
work.  It  was  published  by  Robert  Clarke  & Co.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Eor 
about  a year  Blackman  edited  the  “Lancet.”  At  the  end  of  one  year  he  aban- 
doned the  editorial  work,  the  “Lancet”  being  consolidated  with  the  “Observer’^ 
(“Cincinnati  Lancet  and  Observer,”  Drs.  Mendenhall,  Murphy  and  Stevens, 
Editors).  Blackman’s  parting  words  when  he  laid  down  the  editorial  quill, 
were  characteristic  of  the  man  and  of  the  situation  by  which  he  was  con- 
fronted. He  complains  of  the  lethargy  and  lack  of  local  patriotism  on  the 
part  of  the  profession  and  adds : “The  impression  prevails  throughout  the 
country  that  the  Queen  City  has  been  sadly  victimized  by  the  selfish  cliques 
which  exist  in  the  ranks  of  the  profession  and  too  many  have  been  disposed 
to  exclaim  when  their  attention  has  been  directed  to  her  medical  institutions 
and  medical  literature:  ‘Can  anything  good  come  out  of  Nazareth?’  ” — Black- 
man’s writings  (articles,  papers,  case  reports,  etc.)  are  scattered  through  the 
columns  of  journals  in  the  East  and  West  (1848-1871),  particularly  the  “Am- 
erican Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences.”  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
engaged  with  the  Hon.  Stanley  Matthews  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  in  preparing  an  exhaustive  work  on  “Legal  Liability  in  Surgical  Mal- 
practice.” Eor  several  years  previous  to  his  death  he  was  collecting  and 
preparing  material  with  a view  of  issuing  a work  on  the  “Principles  and 
Practice  of  Surgery.” 

Blackman’s  position  among  the  many  brilliant  men  who  occupied  chairs 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  is  perhaps  best  characterized  in  the  words 
of  James  T.  Whittaker  who,  twenty-five  years*  after  Blackman’s  demise, 
referred  to  him  as  “the  most  gifted  child  of  genius  the  college  has  seen  since 
the  days  of  Daniel  Drake.” 


234 


Samuel  D.  Gross,  in  a very  sympathetic  letter  to  the  widow  of  Doctor 
Blackman,  speaks  as  follows  of  the  great  surgeon ; “As  a great  operator,  a 
distinguished  teacher  and  an  able  writer  Doctor  Blackman  had  few  equals  in 
this  country  or  in  Europe.  To  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  to  the  pro- 
fession of  the  great  West  his  loss  is  irreparable.  Other  men  may  occupy 
his  place  but,  I fear,  none  will  be  able  to  fill  it.” 


JAMES  GRAHAM.  The  stage  and  the  clinical  lecture  room  have  seem- 
ingly nothing  in  common.  Yet,  the  central  figures  in  both  places,  the 
great  actor  and  the  master  of  medical  teaching,  play  strikingly  similar  roles 
in  the  drama  of  life.  The  actor  portrays  man  in  his  joyful  and  his  melan- 
choly moods,  in  his  passions  and  gentler  emotions,  in  his  frailty  and  in  his 
strength.  The  teacher  of  clinical  medicine  likewise  sketches  man  in  all  these 
variable  phases  of  mental  and  physical  being  that  go  to  make  up  human 
life.  The  actor  reveals  the  evolution  of  all  that  is  human.  The  clinical 
teacher  exposes  the  pulleys,  the  ropes,  the  levers  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
minute  machinery  by  means  of  which  the  human  element  in  the  individual  is 
evolved  and  the  wheels  of  human  temperament  and  character  are  made  to 
go  ’round.  Both  the  actor  and  the  clinical  teacher  are  mighty  carriers  of  the 
truth  and  as  such  typify  the  most  exalted  forms  of  humanity.  Their  subject 
is  life,  their  object  truth.  They  bring  to  the  living  the  message  of  life. 
When  their  own  career  is  ended,  there  is  nothing  that  binds  them  to  the  gen- 
erations that  follow.  The  actor  is  forgotten  because  the  message  which  he 
announced  is  hushed  in  the  silence  of  his  tomb.  A great  clinical  teacher  has  a 
thousand  claims  to  the  generation  in  whose  midst  he  towered.  When  he 
passes  to  the  Great  Beyond,  the  footprints  left  by  him  in  the  sands  of  time 
are  quickly  washed  away  by  the  tide  of  forgetfulness.  The  spoken  message 
dies  with  those  who  heard  it. 

James  Graham  was  both  an  actor  and  a great  clinical  teacher.  He  im- 
personated on  the  stage  of  his  own  uneventful  life  a character  so  marvelously 
original  and  wonderfully  great  that  the  survivors  of  the  generation  that 
heard,  saw  and  knew  him,  are  still  captivated  by  the  magic  of  his  name.  He 
taught  clinical  medicine  as  no  one  before  or  after  him  has  taught  it.  This 
fact  still  inspires  those  who  were  his  pupils.  But  we,  the  younger  men  who 
know  him  only  from  hearsay,  feel  nothing  beyond  a certain  interest  which 
the  enthusiasm  of  our  elders  inspires  in  us.  What  a pity  that  such  a teacher 
could  not  have  written  as  he  spoke,  that  he  could  not  have  wielded  his  pen 
as  masterfully  as  he  used  his  tongue ! Graham  left  no  written  legacy  of  his 
greatness.  The  actor’s  fate  is  oblivion,  unless,  perchance,  he  is  an  actor  like 
Shakespeare  who  left  an  heritage  that  will  remain  precious  until  the  end  of 
time.  Graham  taught  and  enthused  those  who  sat  within  hearing  of  his 
voice.  He  gave  a distinct  character  to  a whole  generation  of  doctors  who  in 
turn  helped  to  shape  the  evolution  of  medical  thought  in  the  West.  Theirs 


235 


was  the  harvest  which  he  had  prepared  for  them  and  for  us.  This  is  reason 
enough  why  he  should  not  be  forgotten. 

The  following  attempt  of  a short  autobiographical  sketch  was  found 
among  Graham’s  papers  after  his  demise.  It  tells  in  his  own  quaint,  modest 
way  the  story  of  his  early  childhood.  He  writes : 

“I  was  born  in  New  Lisbon,  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  on  the  28th  day  of  May, 
1819.  My  parents  were  poor,  but  very  respectable.  My  father,  George  Graham,  was 
born  in  County  Down,  Ireland.  His  mother’s  maiden-name  was  Nelson,  and  she  is 
said  to  have  been  related  to  Lord  Nelson.  My  mother  was  Eliza  Branch,  born,  I think, 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  of  parents  whom  I well  remember  as  being  well  educated, 
proud  and  aristocratic  in  bearing.” 

“In  my  early  boyhood  I do  not  remember  that  I was  rated  for  anything  more  than  a 
bright  and  wiry  child,  with  great  quickness  and  smartness  of  mind.  I could  learn  my 
lessons  at  school  with  little  labor,  but  my  nervous  temperament  was  such  that  I could 
not  stand  the  restraint  and  confinement  of  the  school  room,  and  hence  I sought  every 
opportunity  to  play  truant.  I think  it  doubtful  if  I ever  went  to  school  six  consecutive 
days  in  my  life.  I got  most  of  my  education,  which,  in  that  day,  consisted  principally 
in  reading,  writing  and  ciphering,  at  the  old  log  schoolhouse  on  Sharp’s  Hill  in  New 
Lisbon.  My  father  kept  what  in  early  days  was  called  a _ grocery  store.  He  sold 
bread,  cakes  and  beer,  and  had  on  one  side  of  the  shop  a small  stock  of  dry  goods,  iron 
and  nails,  etc..  My  father  dying,  the  family  was  left  to  provide  for  itself.  I went 
with  an  engineer.  Cooper,  to  make  surveys  and  day  out  work’  for  the  contractors  on 
the  Sandy  and  Beevus  Canals.  I was  then  but  a mere  boy,  got  a dollar  a day,  and  yet 
managed  to  lay  up  some  $300  in  money.  Our  expenses  were  but  light,  for  when  we  had 
eaten,  irregularly,  twenty-one  meals  at  a house,  we  paid  for  them  $1.50.” 

“With  the  money  thus  earned  and  saved,  I commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with 
Doctor  McCosh.  After  a year,  I commenced  practice  with  Dr.  Geo.  Fries,  then  at 
Hanover,  but  subsequently  a prominent  physician  and  surgeon  of  this  city.  He  was  a 
rabid  Democrat,  and  had  been  elected  by  that  party  a member  of  Congress,  and  to  the 
office  of  Treasurer  of  Hamilton  County.  When  the  war  broke  out,  he  was  a bitter 
copperhead,  and  I a Republican.  We  quarreled  at  this.  I left  his  office  and  residence, 
and  never  spoke  to  him  afterwards.  I at  once  sought  an  office  at  119  West  Seventh 
Street.  The  rent  was  very  cheap,  but  I was  so  very  poor  that  I bought  crackers  and 
cheese  for  the  sake  of  economy,  and  ate  them  in  my  back  room.  Very  soon  I got  a 
large  practice  and  had  an  income  beyond  my  wants.” 

Graham  neglects  to  state  that  he  received  some  of  his  literary  education 
at  Jefferson  College,  Washington  County,  Pa.,  and  that  he  received  his  med- 
ical degree  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1841.  The  Dr.  George 
Fries  he  refers  to,  was  his  brother-in-law.  Fries  was  a very  capable  physi- 
cian and  surgeon.  He  removed  an  ovarian  cyst  through  a two  inch  incision 
in  the  abdominal  wall  at  a time  when  operations  of  this  kind  were  considered 
most  extraordinary.  The  case  referred  to  was  operated  upon  about  1852. 
It  attracted  attention  all  over  the  country.  Dr.  Fries  died  in  1866. 

After  a few  years  of  practice  in  his  native  town  Graham  moved  (1849) 
to  Cincinnati  where  Fries  was  already  located.  Graham  came  to  Cincinnati 
to  fortune  and  to  fame  unknown.  When  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  was  founded  by  A.  H.  Baker  and  B.  S.  Lawson,  they  made 
Graham  a member  of  their  faculty.  J.  T.  Whittaker  tells  us  that  the  youthful 


236 


looking  Graham  was  very  timid  and  awkward.  The  announcement  of  his 
appointment  prompted  the  students  of  the  other  medical  schools  to  attend  his 
first  lecture  in  a body.  That  their  intentions  were  not  the  most  respectful 
can  readily  be  imagined.  They  prepared  to  give  him  a reception  such  as  only 
medical  students  in  the  West  are  capable  of  enacting.  They  went  down 
armed  with  paperwads  and  such  other  missiles  of  juvenile  aggression.  They 
came  pouring  in  at  the  door.  Doctor  Graham  was  just  at  his  desk,  and  was 
stopped  by  the  noise.  For  a moment  he  was  thoroughly  confused,  then, 
straightening  himself,  he  begged  for  a few  moments’  attention.  Forthwith 
he  commenced  his  subject  and,  as  stimulated  by  the  opposition,  he  continued 
his  lecture.  He  poured  out  such  a stream  of  simple  eloquence  as  won  every 
heart.  Cheer  after  cheer  went  up  as  he  closed.  The  whole  class  was  won. 


James  Graham  George  Fries 

In  1855  he  became  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1859  clinical  medicine  was  added  to  his  chair. 
In  1864  he  became  professor  of  practice.  He  held  the  chair  for  ten  years, 
became  an  emeritus  professor  in  1874,  and  died,  after  a lingering  illness, 
in  1879. 

There  is  abundant  testimony  to  show  that  Graham  was  a most  extraordi- 
nary bedside  instructor.  During  his  lifetime  no  American  teacher  of  clin- 
ical medicine  was  thought  to  be  his  superior  and  very  few  Europeans  were 
considered  his  equals  as  bedside  teachers.  There  were  more  scholarly  men, 
more  thorough  pathologists,  more  impressive  speakers,  and  yet  he  was  the 
prince  of  them  all,  when  it  was  a question  of  presenting  a clinical  problem 
to  the  uncultured  country  student  fresh  from  the  plough,  or  to  the  educated 
college  graduate,  instructing,  pleasing  and  interesting  both  with  equal  ease. 
Graham  stood  up  before  his  class  straight  as  an  arrow,  his  face  plainly 
showing  that  his  very  soul  was  afire  with  the  subject  in  hand.  “He  had  a 


237 


keen  insight,”  says  J.  T.  Whittaker,  “a  woman’s  intuition,  a fine  instinct 
which  enabled  him  to  fix  upon  the  disease  at  once,  and  he  had,  as  only  the 
children  of  genius  have,  the  gift  of  making  the  most  difficult  subject  plain 
and  simple  to  the  commonest  understanding.”  J.  S.  Billings  says  that  Graham 
was  “slender,  graceful,  of  light  complexion,  a shrewd  and  rapid  reasoner,  a 
marvelous  diagnostician,  a most  eloquent  lecturer,  a man  who  would  have 
made  a great  lawyer  or  politician,  who  was  fascinating  to  those  whom  he 
honored  with  his  friendship,  often  sarcastic  and  a scoffer,  yet  generally  ready 
to  help,  a man  who  did  not  write,  whose  fame  is  altogether  local,  whose  best 
work  was  in  clinical  teaching  and  in  holding  the  faculty  together.” 

In  his  private  life  James  Graham  was  a unique  and  somewhat  eccentric 
character.  Dr.  C.  M.  Wright,  in  an  interesting  memoir  of  Graham,  speaks  of 
his  first  visit  to  Graham’s  office  in  company  with  Colonel  Pugh,  who  was  a 
close  friend  of  Doctor  Graham : 

“Graham  lived  a bachelor  life  in  a little  two-story  house  on  Seventh  Street  near 
Race  Street.  The  street  door  opened  conveniently  into  the  front  room  of  the  little 
house.  This  front  room  was  the  office  of  the  great  doctor.  When  we  rang  the  bell,  a 
sound  came  from  within,  made  up  of  the  loud  barking  of  a big  dog  and  the  shouting 
of  a man.  The  dog  was  an  immense  pointer  named  Otto,  the  doctor’s  companion  and 
friend.  The  voice  was  the  doctor’s  roaring  at  Otto  and  shouting  to  us  to  come  in. 
We  entered.  Otto  growled  and  jumped  upon  the  lounge  and  settled  down.  The  doctor 
remained  as  he  was.  He  was  seated  in  a common  office  chair  tilted  back  against  the 
side  of  the  mantelpiece  with  his  feet  drawn  up  and  fixed  on  the  front  of  the  chair. 
This  position  made  of  his  knees  a good  table  for  holding  a large  medical  book.  He 
had  on  a short  knit  jacket  or  W animus,  considerably  worn.  In  his  mouth  he  held  a long- 
stemmed meerschaum  pipe.  He  glanced  at  the  Colonel  and  resumed  reading  in  his 
book.  The  Colonel  went  through  the  form  of  a polite  introduction.  The  doctor  grunted. 
Conversation  was  rather  difficult  under  the  circumstances  although  the  Colonel  managed 
to  make  a few 'pleasant  remarks.  Suddenly  the  doctor  took  the  pipe  from  his  mouth. 
With  a laugh  and  a sneer  he  pointed  to  some  holes  in  the  three-ply  carpet  on  the 
floor.  Looking  at  me  with  condensed  sarcasm,  he  said : ‘Those  holes  were  worn  by 
patients.’  ” 

“I  met  the  doctor  again  and  learnt  to  love  him  and  Otto.  In  less  than  a year  from 
our  first  meeting,  we  were  all  rooming  together  and  were  daily  companions.  When 
the  doctor  was  called  away  from  the  city  for  a day  or  two,  as  he  frequently  was  in 
consultation,  Otto  and  I missed  him,  and  as  the  night  wore  on  and  Otto  could  not 
contain  his  feelings  and  would  set  up  a long,  drawn-out  howl,  I learnt  to  shout  at 
him  and  imitate  the  picturesque  and  lurid  language  to  which  he  was  accustomed  from 
his  master.  I had  the  genuine  satisfaction  to  know  that  my  efforts  were  successful 
by  the  pounding  of  his  tail  on  the  office  floor  below.” 

“Medical  science  has  made  great  strides  forward  since  the  days  of  Graham,  but  are 
the  men,  the  medical  men  of  today  greater  than  those  of  a half  century  ago?  Have 
we  a man  in  this  town  today  who,  without  scientific  apparatus  of  precision,  and  only 
depending  on  his  senses  of  sight,  hearing  and  touch,  can  make  a surer  diagnosis  or  a 
more  certain  prognosis  of  a disease  than  some  of  the  old  doctors  among  whom  Graham 
was  a prince?  He  could  stand  before  a class  of  three  hundred  eager  medical  stu- 
dents or  before  a house  full  of  learned  members  of  a medical  society  and  with  the 
eloquence  of  a Henry  Clay  absorb  every  attention  and  picture  disease  and  treatment 
with  such  vivid  word-painting  that  the  listeners  felt  as  if  they  had  been  carried  to 


238 


the  bedside  and  seen  and  felt  and  known  all  that  could  be  experienced  by  patient  and 
physician.  Are  there  such  men  in  Cincinnati  today?” 

In  an  odd  genius  like  Graham  one  would  expect  to  find  the  human  ele- 
ment well  marked.  The  above  mentioned  dog  possessed  a foremost  place 
in  the  great  physician’s  heart.  Even  after  the  dog  had  long  outlived  his 
years  of  usefulness,  he  continued  to  be  the  doctor’s  friend  and  companion. 
He  spent  his  time  on  a rug  directly  in  front  of  the  fireplace  in  Doctor  Gra- 
ham’s office,  half  asleep  most  of  the  time  and  responding  to  his  master’s 
friendly  greeting  with  a faint  wag  of  his  shaggy  tail.  One  day  Reuben 
Springer,  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Music  Hall,  stepped  into  the  office 
and,  noticing  the  aged  canine,  remarked;  “That  dog  is  quite  old.”  “Yes,” 
replied  Doctor  Graham  with  a fond  look  in  the  direction  of  the  dog’s  resting 
place.  “He  is  not  a very  attractive  looking  animal.”  “No,  he  is  not.”  “He 
is  not  of  much  use  to  you,  is  he?”  “Not  any  more,  poor  old  fellow.”  “Why 
don’t  you  kill  him  and  get  rid  of  him?”  Doctor  Graham  remained  silent 
for  a few  moments.  Finally  with  a sigh  he  arose,  and,  as  though  he  wanted 
to  change  the  subject,  said:  “Mr.  Springer,  how  is  your  mother?”  “Not 
very  well.  The  good  old  lady  is  getting  up  in  years.”  “At  one  time  she  was 
quite  active,  taking  care  of  your  household,  was  she  not?”  “Yes,”  replied 
Springer,  “she  was  quite  a busy  person  around  the  house.  But  now  she  is 
old  and  helpless.  She  sits  in  her  rocking  chair  all  day.”  Doctor  Graham 
had  knelt  down  beside  his  old  dog  and  was  stroking  the  dog’s  back.  Turning 
to  Mr.  Springer  he  said:  “Well,  Mr.  Springer,  why  don’t  you  kill  the  old 
lady  and  get  rid  of  her?” 

Doctor  Graham  never  married,  but  experienced  at  least  one  romance  in 
his  life,  the  object  of  his  affection  being  a buxom  young  widow  who  lived 
with  her  father,  an  irascible  old  gentleman.  Doctor  Graham  and  the  old 
gentleman  frequently  got  into  an  argument  that  usually  terminated  in  the 
old  man  getting  excited  and  roundly  abusing  the  doctor.  One  evening  the 
old  man  in  a fit  of  anger  ordered  his  daughter’s  admirer  out  of  the  house. 
The  doctor  left,  vowing  he  would  never  return.  The  next  day  the  young 
woman  called  at  Doctor  Graham’s  office.  She  was  heartbroken.  “Jimmy,” 
she  said  amid  a flow  of  tears,  “what  will  become  of  us  now?”  “Aly  dear,” 
replied  the  doctor,  “cheer  up.  I will  always  think  as  much  of  you  as  I have 
in  the  past.  I will  marry  you,  but  not  until  you  and  I can  truthfully  offer 
up  this  prayer : ‘Our  father,  who  art  in  heaven !’  ” The  old  man  unfor- 
tunately did  not  bid  adieu  to  this  mundane  sphere  for  many  years  and  the 
happy  union  was  not  consummated. 

At  the  time  when  Geo.  C.  Blackman,  the  master-surgeon  of  his  day,  died, 
Doctor  Graham  was  sick  in  bed.  The  lucky  man  upon  whom,  at  least  as  far 
as  the  selection  made  by  the  trustees  was  concerned,  the  mantle  of  the  dis- 
tinguished surgeon  had  fallen,  called  on  Doctor  Graham  and  informed  the 
latter  that  the  trustees  had  selected  him  (the  speaker)  to  fill  Professor  Black- 
man’s shoes.  Graham  looked  him  over  every  carefully,  grunted  several  times 


239 


and  finally  remarked : ‘‘My  dear  fellow,  I am  glad  to  know  that  you  are  to 
get  into  Blackman’s  shoes.  You  will  be  very  safe  and  comfortable  in  them, 
because  I am  sure  that,  when  you  stand  up  in  them,  no  one  will  be  able  to 
see  even  the  top  of  your  head.”  The  original  version  of  Graham’s  answer 
is  a trifle  more  forcible  than  the  one  quoted,  the  one  given  probably  ex- 
pressing the  sentiment  as  well  as  any  other. 

One  evening  Graham’s  dog  was  sick  and  announced  this  fact  to  the  neigh- 
borhood by  occasional  long,  drawn-out  wails.  Graham  was  sitting  in  front 
of  his  office  when  the  Hon.  Wm.  S.  Groesbeck,  the  famous  defender  of 
Andrew  Johnson  in  the  latter’s  impeachment  case,  happened  along.  Groes- 
beck  stopped  to  talk  to  Graham  when  Graham’s  dog  let  out  a more  than 
ordinarily  plaintive  lamentation.  Groesbeck  remarked  that  the  howling  of 
the  dog  was  a nuisance  and  suggested  to  Graham  to  get  rid  of  the  dog.  He 
thus  unintentionally  had  touched  Graham’s  most  sensitive  spot.  “Mr.  Groes- 
beck,” Graham  remarked,  “you  don’t  understand  dog  language,  do  you?” 
“No,  doctor,  I do  not,”  was  Groesbeck’s  reply.  “Well,  I want  to  tell  you 
that  my  dog  is  sick  and  is  sufifering  pain.  He  is  telling  us  in  his  own  lan- 
guage how  bad  he  feels,  and  I assure  you  that  every  word  my  dog  is  saying,  is 
absolutely  true.  This  is  a good  deal  more  than  people  could  say  about  you.’’ 

Graham  once  was  called  as  an  expert  witness  in  a murder  case,  the  plea 
of  the  defense  being  insanity.  Graham  had  visited  the  prisoner  and  talked 
to  him  for  fifteen  minutes.  When  he  was  asked  on  the  witness-stand  whether 
he  considered  the  accused  man  sane  or  insane,  he  unhesitatingly  said  that,  in 
his  opinion,  the  prisoner  was  sane.  The  lawyer  for  the  defense  arose  and 
excitedly  said : “Dr.  Graham,  how  can  you  pronounce  this  man  sane  when 
you  have  only  spoken  to  him  for  fifteen  minutes?”  “My  dear  sir,”  replied 
Graham,  “I  have  not  talked  to  you  for  fifteen  minutes  and  yet  I would  not 
hesitate  to  pronounce  you  sane.” 

During  his  last  illness  Doctor  Graham  was  visited  by  Dr.  W.  Woodward, 
one  of  his  former  pupils,  who  invited  the  sick  man  to  take  a drive  with  him 
out  into  the  suburbs  and  get  a bit  of  fresh  air  and  sunshine.  The  ride  was 
thoroughly  enjoyed  by  Doctor  Graham.  They  were  on  their  way  home 
when  the  sun  was  setting.  Doctor  Graham  silently  gazed  at  the  Western 
sky  where  the  torch  of  the  day  was  slowly  sinking  into  its  bed  of  fire,  amid 
the  solemn  stillness  of  a serene  summer  evening.  The  white  clouds  that 
seemed  suspended  beneath  the  azure  canopy  of  heaven  and  the  faint  outline 
of  the  hills  that  skirted  the  distant  horizon,  reflected  in  delicate  shadings  and 
lines  the  rosy  tints  of  the  Western  firmament.  The  old  doctor  looked  at 
the  glorious  scene,  oblivious  to  his  surroundings  and  as  in  a trance.  Finally 
with  a sigh,  he  turned  to  his  companion  and  said:  “How  inexpressibly  beau- 
tiful this  picture  is!  How  small  we  miserable  creatures  of  the  earth  are, 
compared  to  Him  who  painted  this  incomparable  scene !”  It  was  Doctor 
Graham’s  last  visit  to  the  shrine  of  Nature. 


240 


Graham  was  without  a doubt  one  of  the  greatest  lecturers  that  have  ever 
stood  before  a medical  class  in  this  country.  By  way  of  a befitting  conclu- 
sion, I beg  to  reproduce  a case  report  as  given  by  Graham  in  a lecture  on 
hysteria.  For  this  bit  of  delightful  realism  I am  indebted  to  Dr.  C.  A.  L. 
Reed,  who  heard  Graham  deliver  this  lecture.  Said  Graham : 

“In  the  earlier  days  of  my  practice  up  in  Columbiana  County  I was  called  one  bitter 
cold  night  to  go  several  miles  in  the  country  to  see  a patient  who  was  reported  to  be 
dying.  When  I arrived,  I found  a young  woman  lying  on  her  back  in  the  middle  of 
the  floor,  surrounded  by  her  anguished  family.  But,  gentlemen,  a furtive  glance  from 
the  patient’s  eye,  at  the  very  instant  of  my  entrance,  told  me  the  nature  of  her  malady. 
By  that  token  I knew  that  she  had  hysteria.  But  I did  not  betray  her  secret.  On 
the  contrary,  I proceeded  with  due  solemnity  to  examine  her  pulse,  and  to  try  to 
examine  her  pupils,  and  her  tongue,  but  I couldn’t  pry  open  either  the  eyelids  or  the 
mouth.  Then,  turning  to  the  anxious  mother,  I said: 

“Madam,  have  you  a syringe?” 

“A  what,  doctor?” 

“A  syringe.  Madam — a squirt  gun.” 

The  men  folks  were  despatched  to  the  barn  and  presently  returned  with  one  of 
those  enormous  pewter  syringes  employed  about  farms  for  veterinary  purposes.  The 
formidable  implement  was  handed  to  me  with  many  glances  suggestive  of  doubts  and 
misgivings.  I took  it,  examined  it  carefully  and  deliberately  then  turning  again  to  the 
mother,  asked : 

“Madam,  have  you  some  turpentine?” 

“Oil  of  turpentine?” 

“Yes;  that  will  do.” 

Another  trip  was  made  to  the  barn  and  a large  black  bottle,  all  gummy  around 
the  stopper,  was  produced.  I opened  it.  The  turpentine  odor  pervaded  the  close  atmos- 
phere. Everybody  looked  interested.  I got  some  hot  water  and  soaked  up  the  piston 
and  tried  the  syringe  by  sucking  it  full  of  water  which  I discharged  with  such  force 
that  it  hissed  and  splashed  all  over  one  side  of  the  room.  Everybody  looked  alarmed. 

“What  are  you  going  to  do?”  tremulously  asked  the  now  frightened  mother. 

“Madam !”  I replied  with  stern  dignity,  “it  is  my  intention  to  give  that  patient  an 
injection  of  turpentine!” 

“And,  gentlemen,  would  you  believe  it ! That  lovely  young  woman  arose  with  a 
bound  from  her  unconsciousness  and  fled  into  the  darkness  as  sensible  to  the  sugges- 
tion as  a dog  would  have  been  to  the  reality  I” 

JOHN  H.  TATE,  the  father  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  Library,  was 
born  in  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  in  1<S15.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  home 
and  made  his  way  to  Hanover,  Ind.,  mostly  on  foot.  At  Hanover  he  attended 
school  and  subsequently  went  to  Cincinnati  to  begin  the  study  of  medicine 
in  the  office  of  John  Moorhead,  “Old  Hydrarg.”  Tate  attended  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  and  received  his  degree  in  1837.  After  serving  in  the 
Commercial  Hospital  as  interne  for  one  year,  he  opened  an  office  at  Third 
and  Broadway  where  he  continued  in  practice  until  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1892.  He  was  appointed  professor  of  physiology,  hygiene  and  medical  juris- 
prudence in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1856,  succeeding  S.  G.  Armor. 
He  held  this  chair  for  two  terms.  In  1865  he  drew  up  a bill  to  amend  the 
regulations  governing  the  Commercial  Hospital,  with  a view  of  setting  aside 

241 


the  fees  paid  by  the  medical  students  of  the  city  for  clinical  instruction. 
The  money  thus  collected  was  to  be  used  in  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  a medical  library  in  conjunction  with  the  hospital.  The  bill  was 
approved  by  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine  and  passed  the  Legisla- 
ture. The  present  large  collection  of  medical  books  and  publications  in  the 
hospital  is  the  result  of  John  H.  Tate’s  plan.  Tate  was  for  many  years 
connected  with  the  stafif  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  and  with  the  faculty  of 


John  H.  Tate 


the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  the  capacity  of  obstetri- 
cian. He  was  a pioneer  in  clinical  midwifery.  He  was  a frequent  con- 
tributor to  the  medical  journals  especially  the  “Western  Lancet.”  His  son, 
Magnus  A.  Tate  (born  1867,  graduate  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  1891) 
is  (1908)  professor  of  obstetrics  in  the  Miami  Medical  College. 

ROBERT  L.  REA  came  from  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia,  where  he 
was  born  in  1827.  At  seventeen  he  was  farming  in  Indiana  and  trying  to 
get  an  education  by  borrowing  books  and  burning  the  midnight  oil.  He 
began  to  practice  medicine  in  1851  in  Oxford  Ohio,  after  having  read  under 
an  old  practitioner  for  three  years.  Einally  he  took  a regular  course  at  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  graduated  in  1855.  Eor  one  term  he  was  dem- 
onstrator of  anatomy,  after  a year  spent  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  as  resi- 
dent physician.  He  returned  to  Oxford  in  1857  and  lectured  at  Miami  Uni- 
versity on  anatomy  and  physiology.  In  1859  he  was  appointed  professor  of 
anatomy  in  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  Ilk,  and  rose  to  considerable 
prominence  as  a medical  teacher.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  Chicago.  He  died  in  1902. 


242 


SAMUEL  B.  TOMLINSON  was  prosector  of  surgery  during  the  term 
1855-’56.  He  is  the  scion  of  a distinguished  English  family.  He  was  born 
in  Philadelphia  in  1829,  received  his  education  at  the  old  and  famous 
Earmer’s  College,  the  predecessor  of  the  Ohio  Military  Institute,  College 
Hill,  Ohio,  studied  medicine  under  Thomas  Wood,  graduated  from  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  in  1855  and  was  Blackman’s  assistant  during  the  latter’s 
first  term.  He  served  in  various  capacities  during  the  war  and  has  been 
engaged  in  general  practice  since  the  close  of  the  war. 

CHARLES  S.  TRIPLER  who,  while  not  a regular  member  of  the  Ohio 
faculty,  lectured  on  military  surgery  during  the  three  sessions  preceding  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  was  a surgeon  in  the  regular  army  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  the  Newport  Barracks.  He  was  born  in  1806,  graduated  at  the 
New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  and  entered  the  medical 
service  of  the  army  in  1830.  He  was  a surgeon  in  the  Mexican  war  under 
General  Scott.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was  a medical  director  of  the 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah  under  General  Patterson  and  subsequently  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  under  General  McClellan.  He  died  in  1866.  Black- 
man was  his  staunch  friend  and  admirer.  It  was  through  Blackman’s  influ- 
ence that  Tripler  lectured  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  ‘‘Hand- 
book for  the  Military  Surgeon”  was  the  joint  product  of  Blackman  and 
Tripler.  The  latter  was  considered  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  learned  med- 
ical officers  during  the  war.  Eor  years  he  was  the  official  representative  of 
the  medical  service  of  the  army  at  the  meetings  of  the  American  Medical 
Association.  He  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  latter  in  1859  at  the  Louis- 
ville meeting. 

JOHN  LORING  VATTIER  was  the  son  of  a Erenchman  who  had  come 
West  with  General  St.  Clair’s  army.  He  was  born  October  31,  1808,  in  a 
little  house  at  the  corner  of  Eront  Street  and  Eastern  Row,  now  Broad- 
way, where  now  stands  the  mouldering  pile  of  the  once  famous  hostelry,  the 
Spencer  House.  Young  Vattier  received  a good  preliminary  education  and 
eventually  went  to  work  in  a drug  store  with  a view  of  studying  medicine. 
In  1827  he  matriculated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  received  his 
degree  in  1830.  During  the  summer  months  he  devoted  his  time  to  steam- 
boat traffic.  He  was  a clerk  on  the  “Alexander  Hamilton”  when  this  boat 
made  the  first  through  trip  on  record  between  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis. 
After  his  graduation  Vattier  opened  an  office  in  Aurora,  Ind.,  but  soon 
returned  to  Cincinnati  and  embarked  in  the  wholesale  drug  business  (Ramsey 
and  Vattier).  In  1836  the  firm  was  dissolved  and  Vattier  again  began  the 
practice  of  medicine.  Eor  awhile  he  was  associated  with  John  T.  Shotwell. 
The  intimacy  of  the  two  men  became  a large  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio,  Shotwell  being  the  manipulator  of  the  faculty  and 
Vattier  the  manager  of  the  board  of  trustees.  The  two  men  fought  for 


243 


common  interests  and  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  fighting  antagonistic  ele- 
ments in  the  faculty.  The  logic  of  events  made  M.  B.  Wright  the  sworn 
enemy  of  Vattier,  as  he  was  of  ShotwelL  Outside  of  the  eminent  men  who, 
as  members  of  the  faculties  of  the  Ohio  College,  became  identified  with  the 
history  and  prestige  of  the  school,  Vattier  is  by  far  the  most  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  history  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  part  he  played  is  a 
trifle  hard  to  define.  He  had  no  professorial  ambition,  as  far  as  we  know. 
He  wanted  to  be  in  a position  to  hold  the  reins,  to  control  the  trustees  and 
through  them  the  professors.  He  was  a skillful  political  manipulator  and  an 
equally  strong  partisan.  That  he  was  a staunch  friend  of  the  Ohio  College, 
seems  certain.  That  his  judgment  was  always  good  and  his  unyielding  policy 
always  productive  of  desirable  results,  he  himself  later  in  life  questioned. 
When  his  old  enemy,  M.  B.  Wright,  was  laid  to  rest,  Vattier  paid  a beau- 
tiful tribute  to  the  fallen  hero  of  many  a good  battle  and  admitted  that  the 
ardor  of  youth  and  the  stimulus  of  ambition  had  prompted  many  things  in 
his  own  conduct  that  he  would  gladly  ef¥ace  if  he  could.  Wattier  led  an 
extremely  busy  life.  He  was  always  prominently  identified  with  the  doings 
of  the  profession.  In  the  forties  he  was  a member  'of  the  faculty  of  the 
Cincinnati  Medical  Institute,  a Summer  school  of  medicine,  and  was  asso- 
ciated with  Wood,  Warder,  Mendenhall  and  other  ambitious  young  men  in 
the  management  of  the  City  Dispensary,  a policlinic  which  was  attached  to 
the  Institute.  Later  on  Vattier  in  conjunction  with  Taliaferro  founded  the 
Hotel  for  Invalids,  corner  Broadway  and  Franklin.  He  was  a trustee  of  the 
Commercial  Hospital  and  the  Longview  Asylum.  He  was  most  active,  how- 
ever, as  secretary  of  the  trustees  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1867 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine. 

Vattier  was  a practical  and  very  influential  politician.  Under  President 
Jackson  he  served  as  commissioner  of  the  surplus  fund  and  assisted  in  the 
division  and  distribution  of  accumulated  federal  funds  to  the  States  in  pro- 
portion to  their  electoral  representation.  In  1851  he  was  elected  to  the  Ohio 
Senate  and  took  part  in  the  framing  of  the  Constitution  of  Ohio.  The 
Bureau  of  Statistics  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  one  of  the  most 
useful  parts  of  the  administrative  machinery  of  the  State,  was  planned  by  him 
and  established  under  his  direction. 

Vattier  planned  and  started  to  build  a street  railway  system  for  Cincin- 
nati. Wednesday,  September  14,  1859,  was  a day  of  honor  for  Vattier.  The 
first  street  car  ran  over  the  route  of  the  Cincinnati  Street  Railroad  Company 
from  Fourth  and  Walnut  to  Ninth  and  Central  Avenue,  and  the  whole  town 
turned  out  to  see  it  and  cheer  for  the  father  of  the  enterprise,  John  L.  Vat- 
tier. Unfortunately  the  enterprise  was  a financial  failure  and  the  company 
was  dissolved.  The  City  Council  which  consisted  then,  as  it  does  now,  of 
men  who  look  upon  a public  office  as  a private  gain,  harrassed  the  company 
with  so  many  unreasonable  demands,  conditions  and  restrictions  that  aban- 
donment of  the  enterprise  was  inevitable.  Vattier  made  the  mistake  of 


244 


trusting  to  the  local  patriotism  of  the  councilmen  and  their  dictators.  If  he 
had  appealed  to  them  with  the  aid  of  the  American  eagle  displayed  on  round 
pieces  of  silver  or  gold,  he  might  have  secured  the  fifty-year  franchise  which 
many  years  later  was  cheerfully  tendered  to  a corporation  that  understood 
the  psychology  of  Cincinnati  politicians  much  better.  The  latter-day  Oc- 
topus believes  with  Philip  of  Macedonia  that  no  wall  is  so  high,  no  patriot- 
ism so  exalted  and  no  politician’s  ideals  are  so  elevated  that  an  ass  loaded 
down  with  gold  could  not  easily  and  comfortably  step  over  wall,  patriotism, 
politicians,  ideals  and  all. 

Yattier  was  postmaster  of  Cincinnati  under  the  administrations  of  Pierce 
and  Buchanan.  As  a Mason  Yattier  was  a national  figure.  Yattier  Lodge, 
organized  in  1866,  was  named  after  him.  In  1878  he  was  elected  president 


WinniAM  Mount  • John  L.  Yattier 

of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  At  the  alumnal 
meeting  in  1880  he  was  the  recipient  of  much  attention  and  honor.  He  died 
January  13,  1881. 

An  interesting  episode  in  his  life  pertains  to  the  ‘‘Society  of  the  Last 
Man.”  In  1832,  when  the  cholera  was  prevalent,  especially  in  Cincinnati, 
Doctor  Yattier  and  six  other  gentlemen,  namely.  Dr.  J.  M.  Mason,  Wm. 
Disney,  Jr.,  Wm.  Stanberry,  H.  L.  Tatem,  J.  R.  Mason,  and  Fenton  Lawson, 
were  together  one  day  and  the  question  came  up  as  to  whether  any  of  those 
present  would  fall  victims  to  the  ravaging  disease.  This  suggested  the  idea 
of  their  forming  a club  to  meet  annually  on  the  6th  day  of  October,  pledging 
themselves  to  be  present,  have  a dinner,  and  if  any  one  were  absent  on  ac- 
count of  death,  there  should  be  seven  plates  laid  nevertheless.  A bottle  of 
wine  was  purchased,  a cabinet  made,  the  bottle  placed  therein,  the  lid  locked, 
sealed  with  wax,  and  the  key  thrown  away.  A drawer  was  also  in  the  cabinet 
in  which  to  keep  a record  of  attendance  and  of  the  absentees,  the  dates  of 

245 


their  deaths,  also  their  biographies,  the  cabinet  being  held  by  different  ones, 
changing  annually.  By  agreement,  when  the  sixth  man  died,  on  the  next 
anniversary,  the  last  man  was  to  have  the  dinner  as  usual  with  plates  placed 
for  his  six  dead  companions,  and  he  was  to  break  open  the  lock,  open  the 
bottle  and  drink  in  remembrance  of  his  beloved  former  confreres.  The  sixth 
man,  Fenton  Lawson,  died  in  1855,  and  Doctor  Vattier,  the  last  man,  outlived 
him  twenty-six  years.  The  compact  was  faithfully  carried  out  and  the  cab- 
inet is  now  in  possession  of  the  Ohio  Historical  Society. 

WILLIAM  MOUNT  was  born  in  Armstrong  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1799,  and  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  in  1812.  He  was  a student  appren- 
tice in  1817  and  1818,  took  one  course  at  the  Transylvania  University  and 
graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1826.  He  began  to  practice  in 
Newtown,  near  Cincinnati,  moved  to  Dayton  and  finally  located  in  Cum- 
minsville,  a suburb  of  Cincinnati.  He  was  a devoted  lover  of  medical  science 
and  a practitioner  of  great  skill.  For  several  years  he  was  in  charge  of  the 
Hamilton  County  Lunatic  Asylum  in  Lick  Run.  He  was  a great  friend  of 
Daniel  Drake  and  served  as  a trustee  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  (Drake’s  College).  For  thirty  years  he  was  a trustee  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1866,  while  on  one  of  his  periodical  visits,  he 
was  run  over  by  a wagon  in  Philadelphia  and  killed  instantly.  He  was 
sixty-seven  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death  and  had  gone  East  to  visit 
clinics  and  hospitals  and  hear  a few  lectures  on  new  things  in  medicine. 
Gross,  whose  guest  he  was  during  this  ill-fated  visit,  considered  him  a most 
extraordinary  man  and  physician. 


246 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OE  OHIO. 

(1860—1909.) 

The  problem  of  reorganizing  the  faculty  without  eliminating  Blackman 
was  by  no  means  an  easy  one.  Every  member  of  the  faculty  with 
the  possible  exception  of  Graham,  was  up  in  arms  against  Blackman. 
The  trustees  finally  decided  to  create  chairs  of  clinical  medicine  and  clinical 
surgery  and  appointed  Graham  and  Blackman  to  fill  them.  This  arrange- 
ment would  have  kept  Blackman  away  from  the  college,  because  his  work 
would  have  been  confined  to  the  Commercial  Hospital.  The  other  members 
of  the  new  faculty  were  Lawson  (medicine),  J.  Davis  (anatomy)  J.  P. 
Judkins  (principles  of  surgery),  Mendenhall  (obstetrics),  Comegys  (physi- 
ology), Murphy  (materia  medica),  Foote  (chemistry)  and  Richardson  (dis- 
eases of  women  and  children).  An  iron  clad  rule  was  adopted  to  enjoin  the 
professors  from  speaking  ill  of  each  other.  Graham  and  Blackman  accepted 
the  new  arrangement.  The  rest  of  the  faculty  again  promptly  resigned.  The 
trustees  were  disgusted  and,  in  turn,  resigned  in  corpore.  The  Governor 
accepted  their  resignation  and  the  next  day  re-appointed  them.  They  met 
and  organized,  appointing  Blackman  professor  of  surgery,  and  Graham  pro- 
fessor of  medicine,  M.  B.  Wright  professor  of  obstetrics  and  Mr.  Chas. 
O’Leary  professor  of  chemistry.  The  latter  had  taken  a course  in  medicine 
at  the  Long  Island  Medical  College,  and  was  lecturing  on  chemistry  at  Mt. 
St.  Mary’s  Seminary,  a Catholic  institution  on  Price  Hill,  Cincinnati.  He 
filled  the  chair  of  chemistry  for  one  term.  He  subsequently  located  in  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.,  and  rose  to  considerable  eminence  as  a physician  The  appoint- 
ment of  the  remaining  professors  was  left  to  the  four  mentioned.  They 
elected  J.  F.  Hibberd,  of  Richmond,  Ind.,  professor  of  physiology  and  path- 
ology;  John  C.  Reeve,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  professor  of  materia  medica;  L.  M. 
Lawson,  professor  of  theory  and  practice;  J.  P.  Judkins,  professor  of  anat- 
omy; John  S.  Billings  demonstrator  of  anatomy.  The  latter  entered  the  med- 
ical service  of  the  army  and  W.  W.  Dawson  took  his  place  in  the  college. 

The  Civil  War  which  affected  all  lines  of  business  and  professional  ac- 
tivity in  this  country,  directed  thought  and  energy  into  new  channels  and  in 
this  way,  indirectly  brought  an  era  of  comparative  quiet  to  the  college.  With 
the  exception  of  one  of  the  periodical  protracted  wrangles  with  the  hospital 
trustees,  who  always  had  considerable  fault  to  find  with  some  of  the  attend- 
ing physicians  and  surgeons,  especially  with  M.  B.  Wright,  who  had  lost  none 


247 


of  his  old  time  belligerent  spirit,  nothing  disturbed  the  tranquility  of  normal 
conditions  for  at  least  four  sessions.  The  outcome  of  the  hospital  row  was 
that  the  hospital  was  opened  to  the  students  from  all  medical  colleges.  Cen- 
sors appointed  by  the  Ohio  State  Society  attended  the  examinations  in  1861. 
Comegys  re-entered  the  faculty  in  1862.  Wright  had  some  misunderstanding 
with  him  and  enlivened  the  faculty  meetings  with  some  of  his  picturesque 
protests.  The  college  clinic  was  at  that  time  in  good  running  order  and' was 
quite  a feature  of  medical  education  in  Cincinnati.  About  that  time  the 
question  of  medical  co-education  was  earnestly  agitated  by  some  factions. 
The  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  that  time  placed  itself  on  record  as  being 
positively  opposed  to  the  admission  of  women  to  the  study  of  medicine.  In 
1867  the  college  building  was  purchased  by  Joseph  C.  Butler,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital,  and  leased  to  the  faculty.  Some 
of  the  new  men  who  entered  the  faculty  in  the  sixties  were  Roberts  Bar- 
tholow,  Theophilus  Parvin,  Wm.  H.  Gobrecht,  P.  S.  Conner,  Samuel  Nickles, 
Chauncey  D.  Palmer  and  W.  W.  Seely.  It  was  men  of  this  type  that  ushered 
in  the  halcyon  days  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  When  in  1870  at  the 
semi-centennial  of  the  institution  M.  B.  Wright,  in  an  historical  address,  re- 
viewed the  career  of  the  college,  there  was  assembled  on  the  stage  of  the 
old  Pike  Opera  House  the  most  powerful  and  homogeneous  faculty  that  the 
Ohio  College  has  ever  had.  Professionally  and  educationally  that  faculty 
was  the  climax  of  a half  a century  of  struggles  and — withal — of  brilliant 
achievements.  With  Blackman  and  Graham  in  the  two  principal  chairs,  with 
Bartholow  in  that  of  materia  medica,  with  Conner  and  Whittaker  teaching 
anatomy  and  physiology,  it  would  be  difficult  to  concentrate  more  uniform 
strength  in  one  corps  of  medical  teachers.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
the  aetas  aurea  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  began  and  lasted  approx- 
imately twenty-five  or  thirty  years.  One  by  one  the  witnesses  of  the  past 
glory  have  dropped  away,  not  the  least  of  them  the  old  building  on  Sixth 
Street  with  its  solemn  gothic  front,  its  dirty  interior  and  its  thousand  cher- 
ished memories  of  learning  and  eloquence,  and  of  the  frolic  and  pathos  so 
characteristic  in  the  rough  and  ready  life  of  the  Western  medical  students  of 
yesterday. 

In  1872  the  Ohio  College  graduated  a class  of  ninety  students,  seven  more 
than  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  The  following  table  shows  the  rela- 
tive position  of  different  medical  schools  in  1872  in  regard  to  the  size  of  their 
graduating  classes: 


Miami  Medical  College 67 

Jefferson  Medical  College 114 

Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College 129 

Medical  College  of  Nashville 84 

University  of  Pennsylvania 83 

College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York 78 

Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago 77 


248 


University  of  the  City  of  New  York 75 

Medical  Department  University  of  Buffalo 34 

Cleveland  Medical  College,  Ohio 34  . 

Medical  Department  of  Georgetown  College 20 

Medical  College  of  Virginia 12 

National  Medical  College,  Washington 7 


In  1878  there  were  about  800  medical  students  in  Cincinnati.  About  350 
of  these  were  Ohio  matriculates.  The  number  of  students  from  the  West 
had  been  gradually  increasing  while  the  schools  in  the  East,  notably  those  in 
Philadelphia,  had  experienced  a corresponding  decrease  in  the  attendance  of 
Western  students.  The  time-honored  hegemony  of  the  Eastern  schools  had 
finally  been  conquered  by  Western  talent  and  genius.  The  following  year 
the  number  of  graduates  broke  all  records.  The  graduating  class  numbered 


Medicau  Department  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati  (since  1896). 


121.  For  several  years  before  and  after,  it  was  never  less  than  100.  Ihe 
era  of  unparalleled  prosperity  and  prominence  was  the  creation  of  that  race 
of  giants  that  rose  and  began  its  mighty  labors  in  the  ten  years  following  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War.  In  the  lives  and  services  of  these  great  men  there  is 
something  of  almost  epic  grandeur.  All  of  them  have  passed  to  the  Elysian 
fields.  Reamy  and  Conner  were  the  last  of  the  Old  Guard  to  heed  the  final 
summons.  With  them  vanished  the  last  remnants  of  an  age  that  produced 
not  only  great  physicians  but  great  men. 

In  1871  Bartholow  suggested  to  buy  the  college  building  and  present  it 
to  the  University  of  Cincinnati  for  its  medical  department.  Graham,  Dawson 
and  Bartholow  were  appointed  a committee  to  interest  the  citizens  of  Cincin- 
nati in  the  plan.  The'scheme  aroused  no  enthusiasm  and  was  dropped.  Fif- 

249 


teen  years  later  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  became  nominally  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati.  This  arrangement  in  reality 
meant  nothing.  It  imposed  no  obligations  and  conferred  no  rights,  either  as 
far  as  the  college  or  the  university  was  concerned.  The  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery  and  the  Miami  Medical  College  had  also  been  “affil- 
iated” with  the  university.  A closer  affiliation  which  seemed  to  have  the 
appearance  of  a definite  relationship  was  effected  April  27,  1896,  when  the 
trustees  of  the  university  and  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
signed  an  agreement,  provisionally  merging  the  college  into  the  university.  The 
college  gave  up  its  charter,  agreeing  to  operate  under  the  charter  of  the  uni- 
versity. The  latter  gave  the  college  a new  home  in  the  old  McMicken  Uni- 
versity Building.  The  trustees  of  the  university  were  to  be  the  governing 
body.  After  eight  years  of  the  new  regime  the  president  of  the  university, 
Howard  Ayres,  characterized  the  condition  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
and  the  medical  situation  in  Cincinnati  in  his  annual  report  very  clearly  and 
pointedly. 

“In  the  ease  of  our  Medical  Department,”  he  remarks,  “the  University  of  Cincinnati 
gets  no  advantage  from  the  relations  which  it  now  sustains  with  it,  very  largely  because 
of  the  lack  of  subordination  of  its  affairs  to  the  direction  and  authority  of  the  University 
Board  of  Directors  coupled  with  the  lack  of  co-ordination  and  co-operation  with  the 
other  departments  of  the  University.  The  idea  of  complete  autonomy,  as  conceived  and 
carried  out  in  these  departments,  operates  to  the  detriment  both  of  the  departments  and 
of  the  university  at  large.” 

“The  high  aims  of  the  university  can  not  be  attained  nor  the  opportunities  for  the 
growth  in  this  community  seized  upon  and  utilized  under  such  a system  of  separation. 
This  department  loses  much  and  gains  nothing  from  this  arrangement  and  the  university, 
by  this  segregation  of  interests,  is  prevented  from  reaching  that  solidarity  of  organiza- 
tion of  purpose  and  of  method  which  is  absolutely  indispensable  to  any  large  and  per- 
manent success.  About  thirty  years  ago  there  were  in  attendance  in  the  medical  colleges 
in  the  City  of  Cincinnati  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  students,  most  of  them 
enrolled  in  the  three  large  colleges.  In  1901  only  eighty  new  non-resident  students 
were  received  in  all  the  medical  schools  of  this  city.  In  1902  only  forty-four  new 
outside  students  entered  the  two  largest  schools,  which  number  was  exactly  repeated 
in  1903.” 

“Formerly  the  students  coming  to  Cincinnati  for  a medical  course  hailed  from  all 
States  surrounding  Ohio,  and  many  of  the  distant  Southern  States,  but  at  the  present 
time  the  non-resident  attendance  upon  the  medical  schools  in  this  city  is  almost  entirely 
from  Southern  Ohio.  From  its  geographical  position  and  its  trade  relations,  Cincinnati 
should,  in  the  opinion  of  many  persons  competent  to  judge,  be  a great  educational 
center.  At  one  time  before  the  foundation  of  the  University,  the  youth  of  a large 
territory  looked  to  Cincinnati  for  a medical  education.  This  is  no  longer  the  case.” 

“Doubtless  the  reasons  for  the  decline  of  Cincinnati  as  a center  of  medical  edu- 
cation are  several,  among  which  and  possibly  the  most  important  of  which  is  the  neglect 
on  the  part  of  the  Cincinnati  medical  schools  to  keep  up  with  the  developments  in  edu- 
cation as  represented  by  the  stronger  medical  schools  of  the  United  States.” 

“.  . .In  the  case  of  the  Medical  Department,  the  university  owns  the  charter  and 
the  property  of  the  school,  and  gives  it  rent-free  quarters  in  one  of  the  buildings.  In 
all  other  respects  the  Medical  Department  is  not  an  organic  part  of  the  University  and 
by  its  relation  to  the  university  adds  no  strength  but  develops  some  points  of  weak- 

250 


ness.  . . . The  clinical  and  pathologic  school  is  likewise  a paper  affiliation.  ...  It 
would  be  by  far  better  for  the  university  to  terminate  all  these  connections  and  rela- 
tions, unless  these  schools  can  be  made  organic  parts  of  the  university.  . . . The 
present  condition  serves  only  to  promote  and  perpetuate  inefficient  organization,  lack 
of  initiative  or  corrective  power  and  it  serves  to  maintain  lack  of  harmony  and  co-opera- 
tion between  the  several  faculties  and  the  governing  body.  So  long  as  the  present 
status  lasts,  private  interests  will  not  be,  and  could  hardly  be  expected  to  be,  subordinated 
to  the  good  will  of  the  institution.  . . . The  university  will  never  grow  as  it  should, 
until  the  several  departments  are  put  upon  a co-ordinate  basis  with  the  same  rights  and 
privileges  and  with  similar  duties  and  responsibilities.  ...  If  this  can  not  be  done 
with  the  professional  departments  mentioned,  or  if,  for  any  reason,  it  is  undesirable 
to  attempt  it  under  the  present  government,  then  the  form  of  the  organization  of  the 
university  and  of  its  Board  of  Control  as  well  as  the  relations  of  the  university  to  the 
public,  if  these  be  the  source  of  the  difficulty  or  the  disturbing  elements  in  the  situation, 
should  be  changed  without  delay  in  order  that  out  of  the  educational  material  at  hand 
an  institution  may  be  built  up  which  shall  be  a university  in  fact  as  well  as  in 
name.  . . .The  present  condition  can  not  be  made  to  work  smoothly  or  harmoniously, 
and  will  effectually  prevent  the  attainment  of  the  educational  goal  desired  by  all  friends 
of  the  university  without  exception.'’ 

The  attempt  to  bring  the  period  of  decadence  to  a close  was  made  in  1908 
when  the  facnlties  of  both  the  Miami  and  the  Ohio  College  agreed  to  terminate 
the  existence  of  their  respective  colleges  after  the  session  of  1908-’09  and 
allow  the  University  of  Cincinnati  to  absorb  the  two  schools  as  its  Medical 
Department  in  name  as  well  as  in  fact.  This  consolidation  of  the  two  schools 
under  a new  name  was  practically  effected  according  to  the  plan  suggested 
by  Howard  Ayres  in  his  report  of  1901.  The  present  president  of  the  uni- 
versity is  Charles  W.  Dabney,  formerly  connected  with  the  University  of 
Tennessee.  It  will  be  his  task  to  weld  the  elements  of  strength  heretofore 
scattered  by  discord  and  weakened  by  strife,  into  an  instrument  of  power 
for  good.  The  last  decade  in  the  life  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  recalled 
in  some  respects  the  struggles  of  the  early  thirties  and  early  fifties.  ‘‘No 
splendid  edifice  can  be  reared  by  sinister  and  discordant  architects!”  (Drake). 

If  the  lessons  of  the  recent  past  are  heeded,  if  the  ambition  of  the  indi- 
vidual is  tempered  by  love  of  science  and  by  civic  patriotism,  if  the  unit  is 
willing  to  be  absorbed  by  the  totality  of  the  purpose  embodied  in  the  whole, 
then  Medical  Cincinnati  may  rise  again  in  all  her  old-time  glory,  an  imperish- 
able monument  to  the  great  Daniel  Drake,  whose  genius  hovers  about  the 
old  town,  where  Western  medicine  was  born  and  grew  into  a vigorous 
adolescence  and  heroic  manhood. 

The  incumbents  of  the  principal  chairs  during  the  long  career  of  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  have  been : 

Anatomy — Jesse  Smith,  Jedediah  Cobb,  John  T.  Shotwell,  G.  W.  Bayless, 
H.  W.  Baxley,  Thomas  Wood,  J.  P.  Judkins,  W.  W.  Dawson,  Wm.  H. 
Gobrecht,  P.  S.  Conner,  L.  R.  Longworth,  Joseph  Ransohoff,  J.  L.  Cilley, 
A.  V.  Phelps.  The  latter  has  been  secretary  of  the  college  for  a number  of 
years  and  enjoys  a well-merited  reputation  as  a teacher  of  anatomy. 


251 


Physiology — Daniel  Drake,  Jesse  Smith,  Jedediah  Cobb,  John  T.  Shot- 
well,  L.  M.  Lawson,  S.  G.  Armor,  J.  H.  Tate,  C.  G.  Comegys,  J.  F.  Hib- 
berd,  \V.  W.  Dawson,  E.  Rives,  J.  T.  Whittaker,  F.  Forchheimer,  B.  K. 
Rachford,  A.  C.  Poole,  Win.  Muehlberg,  E.  M.  Baehr.  During  the  term 
1878-G9  C.  J.  Fimck  was  assistant  to  the  chair  of  physiology.  He  is  still 
practicing  in  Cincinnati  and  should  be  remembered  on  account  of  his  almost 
encyclopedic  knowledge  of  medicine  and  collateral  sciences. 

Chemistry — Elijah  Slack,  Thomas  D.  Mitchell,  John  Locke,  Chas.  W. 
Wright,  John  A.  Warder,  H.  E.  Foote,  Chas.  O’Leary,  Nelson  Sayler,  Roberts 
Bartholow,  P.  S.  Conner,  Samuel  Nickles,  H.  A.  Clark,  F.  Forchheimer,  Jas. 
G.  Hyndman,  A.  C.  Poole,  Wm.  H.  Crane,  E.  B.  Reemelin.  Crane  was  one 
of  the  most  talented  of  the  younger  members  of  the  profession.  He  died  in 
1906  during  a meeting  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine.  He  was  reading  a paper 
on  milk  analysis  when  sudden  death  claimed  him.  He  expired  at  the  post 
of  duty  at  the  beginning  of  a hopeful  career,  almost  the  Solonic  ideal  of  a 
happy  death. 


The  University  of  Cincinnati 


Materia  medica — B.  S.  Bohrer,  E.  Slack,  Josiah  Whitman,  C.  E.  Pierson, 
John  Eberle,  J.  C.  Cross,  M.  B.  Wright.  Daniel  Oliver,  J.  P.  Harrison,  L.  M. 
Lawson,  Thos.  O.  Edwards,  James  Graham,  J.  C.  Reeve,  Th.  Parvin,  Roberts 
Bartholow,  Samuel  Nickles,  B.  K.  Rachford,  A.  C.  Poole. 

Practice — Daniel  Drake,  Jedediah  Cobb,  John  Moorhead,  John  Eberle, 
J.  P.  Kirtland,  J.  P.  Harrison,  John  Bell,  L.  M.  Lawson,  C.  G.  Comegys, 
James  Graham,  Roberts  Bartholow,  James  T.  Whittaker,  F.  Forchheimer. 

Surgery — Jesse  Smith,  John  D.  Godman,  Jedediah  Cobb,  James  M. 
Staughton,  Alban  Goldsmith,  R.  D.  Mussey,  H.  W.  Baxley,  Asbury  Evans, 
G.  C.  Blackman,  W.  W.  Dawson,  P.  S.  Conner,  Joseph  Ransohoff. 

• 252 


Obstetrics — Daniel  Drake,  John  Moorhead,  Josiah  Whitman,  John  F. 
Henry,  M.  B.  Wright,  L.  C.  Rives,  N.  T.  Marshall,  George  Mendenhall,  M.  B. 
Wright,  Th.  Parvin,  C.  D.  Palmer,  T.  A.  Reamy,  E.  G.  Zinke. 

Gynecology — Daniel  Drake,  John  Moorhead,  Josiah  Whitman,  John  F. 
Henry,  M.  B.  Wright,  L.  C.  Rives,  N.  T.  ^Marshall,  George  Mendenhall, 
B.  F.  Richardson,  M.  B.  Wright,  Th.  Parvin,  C.  D.  Palmer,  C.  L.  Bonifield. 

The  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  after  the  session  1908-’09,  will  be,  nom- 
inally and  actually,  extinct.  Among  the  men  who  belonged  to  the  teaching 
force  of  the  venerable  institution  during  the  last  session  of  its  career,  were 
some  good  types  of  practitioners  and  teachers.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  new 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati  will  at  last  furnish  the 
soil  upon  which  ambition,  ability  and  individual  worth  can  develop  and 
flourish.  Able  incumbents  of  additional  chairs  during  the  session  1908-’09 
were:  Brooks  F.  Beebe  (mental  diseases),  S.  C.  Ayres,  (ophthalmology), 


Howard  Ayers  Chas.  W.  Dabney 


H.  J.  Whitacre  (pathology),  C.  A.  L.  Reed  (clinical  gynecology)',  A.  H. 
Freiberg  (orthopedic  surgery),  R.  Carothers  (clinical  surgery),  J.  W.  Rowe 
(clinical  obstetrics),  Philip  Zenner  and  H.  H.  Hoppe  (neurology),  B.  F.  Lyle 
(diseases  of  the  chest),  A.  G.  Drury  (hygiene),  and  J.  E.  Greiwe  (practice 
and  physical  diagnosis).  The  loss  of  prestige  of  the  Aledical  College  of  Ohio 
was  largely  the  result  of  injudicious  management  on  the  part  of  the  oligarchy 
in  control.  There  was  no  dearth  of  talent  in  the  faculty.  The  misfortune 
was  the  narrow  policy  of  the  managers  who  seemed  to  follow  the  example 
of  John  T.  Shotwell,  of  inglorious  memory. 

The  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati  will  begin  its 
career  in  the  Eall  of  1909,  ninety  years  after  the  birth  of  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio.  If  the  leaders  of  the  new  school  are  imbued  with  but  a part  of  the 
unselfish  spirit  which  animated  the  immortal  Drake  when  he  laid  the  founda- 


253 


tion  of  the  grand  old  school,  the  future  will  be  safe.  The  past  has  shown  that 
ability  and  esprit  de  corps  can  build  up  a great  medical  school.  Let  Daniel 
Drake’s  great  school  arise  like  a phoenix  and  forevermore  be  loyal  and  true 
to  the  ideals  of  that  great  man,  unswervingly  maintaining  its  station : 

. . . Like  the  northern  star 
Of  whose  true-fixed  and  resting  quality, 

There  is  no  fellow  in  the  firmament. 

The  following  sketches  refer  to  men  who  were  conspicuous  in  the  life  of 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  since  1860. 

JAMES  F.  HIBBERD  was  born  of  Quaker  ancestry  in  New  Market,  Md., 
in  1816.  He  attended  a classical  school  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  and  began  his 
medical  studies  in  1839  at  Yale  College,  where  he  took  one  course  of  lectures. 


John  C.  Reeve  James  F.  Hibberd 

He  began  to  practice  in  Salem,  Ohio,  in  1840,  and  remained  there  until  1849 
when  he  took  a course  at  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
and  accepted  the  appointment  of  surgeon  on  the  steamship  ‘"Senator,”  plying 
between  New  York  and  San  Francisco  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  He 
remained  in  California  until  1855,  practicing  medicine  and  engaging  in  busi- 
ness. In  1855  he  resumed  his  medical  studies  in  New  York  and  finally,  in 
1856,  located  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  After  a few  months  he  moved  to  Richmond, 
Ind.  During  the  term  1860-’61  he  was  professor  of  physiology  and  general 
pathology  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  was  one  of  the  first  in  this 
country  to  teach  the  principles  of  Virchow’s  cellular  pathology.  Hibberd  died 
in  1903. 

What  James  F.  Hibberd  has  been  to  the  cause  of  legitimate  medicine  in 
Indiana,  and,  in  fact,  in  the  West,  is  a matter  of  history.  As  early  as  1865 

254 


the  American  Medical  Association  elected  him  vice-president.  He  has  in  turn 
filled  the  presidential  chair  in  the  medical  societies  of  his  town,  his  county,  his 
State  and  saw  his  labors  rewarded  when  in  1893  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation elected  him  its  president.  He  presided  at  the  San  Francisco  meeting 
in  1894,  surrounded  by  a thousand  recollections  of  the  scene  of  his  first  success 
in  the  early  fifties. 

Hibberd  has  left  many  papers  on  a variety  of  subjects.  A notable  effort 
of  his  was  his  paper  on  “The  Part  Taken  by  Nature  and  Time  in  the  Cure  of 
Disease,’’  with  which  he  in  1868  won  the  prize  offered  by  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society.  Between  1860  and  1866  Hibberd  published  numerous  papers 
on  the  new  pathology.  His  paper  on  “Inflammation  in  the  Light  of  Cellular 
Pathology”  (Indiana  State  Medical  Society  Transactions  1862)  was  a remark- 
able production,  considering  the  time  when  it  was  written.  Hibberd  was  all 
his  life  an  indefatigable  worker  in  the  interests  of  public  health,  medical  edu- 
cation and  of  progress  in  any  and  every  direction.  Early  in  his  career  he 
assisted  in  the  formation  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  That  he  was  a 
man  of  courage,  is  evident  from  the  stand  he  took  in  1863  in  the  controversy 
caused  by  Surgeon  General  Hammond’s  circular  concerning  the  abuse  of 
calomel  in  the  military  hospitals.  The  medical  profession  of  Cincinnati  con- 
demned Hammond  in  a public  meeting  held  May  27,  1863,  in  the  lecture  room 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Hammond  was  denounced  as  an  “autocrat 
in  medicine”  and  was  accused  of  favoring  sectarianism.  Hibberd,  in  the  face 
of  a large  and  excited  assembly,  stood  up  and  gallantly  defended  Hammond. 

JOHN  C.  REEVE,  who  at  the  present  writing  (1909)  is  the  Nestor  of 
the  profession  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  universally  beloved  and  re- 
spected as  an  exponent  of  the  highest  ideals  of  professional  life,  was  born 
in  England  in  1826.  He  came  to  this  country  at  an  early  age  and  had  to 
make  his  own  way  as  an  apprentice  in  a printing  office.  In  1851  he  received 
his  degree  from  the  old  Cleveland  Medical  College  (now  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Western  Reserve  University).  Eor  about  two  years  he  prac- 
ticed in  Dodge  County,  Wis.,  and  went  to  London  in  1853  for  further  study. 
The  Summer  of  1854  he  spent  at  the  University  of  Gottingen,  Germany. 
Upon  his  return  to  America  he  located  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  In  1860  he  was 
appointed  professor  of  materia  medica  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Black- 
man, who  was  very  fond  of  him,  took  him  with  him  on  his  numerous  trips 
to  the  battlefields  of  the  Civil  War  where  Reeve  saw  and  assisted  in  most 
of  the  surgical  work  done  by  the  great  surgeon.  The  unsettled  condition  of 
things  prompted  Reeve  to  resign  his  chair  after  one  term,  notwithstanding 
the  inducements  held  out  by  his  friend  Blackman,  who  wanted  Reeve  to 
remain  in  Cincinnati  as  his  associate  in  professional  work.  Doctor  Reeve 
has  since  resided  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  as  one  of  the  representative  surgeons  of 
the  State.  Gross  quotes  him  in  his  “Surgery”  (5th  ed.,  vol.  II.,  p.  398). 
In  1859  Reeve  published  his  translation  of  Elouren’s  “History  of  the  Dis- 

255 


covery  of  the  Circulation  of  the  Blood.”  His  contributions  to  the  knowledge 
of  anaesthetics  and  anaesthesia  at  a time  when  the  subject  was  comparatively 
new  and  by  no  means  well  understood  by  the  general  profession,  were  valu- 
able, in  fact  epoch-making.  His  first  paper  on  the  subject  appeared  in  1867 
(Am.  Journal  of  the  Med.  Sciences),  and  was  in  the  nature  of  a monograph. 
Later  Reeve  published  a paper  in  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic”  giving  an  account 
of  the  symptoms  and  sensations  produced  by  self-administration  of  bromide 
of  ethyl.  The  latter  had  just  then  been  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the  pro- 
fession. Reeve  and  his  friend  Thad,  A.  Reamy  were  for  many  years  the 
only  Western  members  of  the  American  Gynecological  Society. 

WILLIAM  W.  DAWSON  was  the  son  of  John  Dawson,  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Berkeley  County,  Virginia.  The  father  originally  came 
from  Pittsburg.  He  had  located  in  Darkesville,  Va.,  and  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing. Here  Wm.  Dawson  saw  the  light  of  day  in  1828.  He  was  one  of 
eleven  children,  an  older  brother  being  John  Dawson,  who  gained  distinction 
as  a progressive  and  learned  physician,  and  at  one  time  was  one  of  the 
strongest  teachers  of  medicine  in  the  West,  being  connected  with  Starling 
Medical  College,  Columbus,  Ohio.  When  Wm.  Dawson  was  two  years  old, 
the  father  moved  to  Greene  County,  Ohio.  Young  Dawson  received  his  early 
education  in  the  country  schools  of  Greene  County.  He  developed  a great 
aptitude  for  natural  history,  especially  geology  and  mineralogy,  and  drifted 
mto  medicine  at  an  early  age.  His  brother  John  who,  before  he  became  a 
professor  in  Columbus,  was  practicing  in  Jamestown,  Ohio,  gave  him  his  first 
instruction.  William  finally  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  gradu- 
iued  in  1850.  He  spent  a year  as  an  interne  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  and 
manifested  great  zeal  in  his  professional  work,  as  is  evident  from  the  care- 
fully prepared  clinical  reports  which  he  contributed  to  the  “Western  Lancet” 
at  that  time.  A very  creditable  paper  was  his  graduation  thesis  on  “Concus- 
sion of  the  Brain”  which  was  published  in  the  “Western  Lancet,”  and.  shows 
the  practical  mind  of  the  young  author.  In  1851  Dawson  began  his  career 
as  a medical  teacher.  Cincinnati  at  that  time  had  a Summer  school  of  medi- 
cine, called  the  “Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati.”  Its  session  began  in  March 
and  continued  for  sixteen  weeks.  The  faculty  consisted  of  L.  M.  Lawson 
(pathology  and  clinical  medicine),  Chas.  W.  Wright  (chemistry),  George 
Mendenhall  (obstetrics  and  gynecology),  Chas.  A.  Downes  (surgical  anatomy 
and  minor  surgery),  Thomas  Wood  (surgery),  and  C.  G.  Comegys  (materia 
medica).  Dawson  was  added  to  the  stafif  as  lecturer  on  descriptive  anatomy 
and  physiology.  In  1853  he  became  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  newly 
founded  Cincinnati  College  of  Aledicine  and  Surgery  and  continued  as  such 
for  three  years.  After  the  reorganization  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in 
1861  Dawson  was  appointed  professor  of  anatomy  and  physiology,  succeed- 
ing Jesse  P.  Judkins.  In  1864  W.  H.  Gobrecht,  assisted  by  W.  W.  Seely, 
took  the  chair  of  anatomy,  while  G.  G.  Comegys  lectured  on  physiology. 


256 


Dawson  dropped  out  of  the  didactic  teaching  staff  and  confined  himself  to 
clinical  teaching  at  the  Commercial  Hospital  as  one  of  the  surgeons  of  the 
institution  In  1871  when  the  peerless  Blackman  was  laid  low  by  the  hand 
of  death,  Dawson  was  elected  professor  of  the  principles  of  surgery  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  held  this  chair  until  1887  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Phineas  S.  Conner,  but  continued  to  lecture  on  clinical  surgery. 
Dawson’s  best  work  as  a teacher  of  surgery  was  done  in  the  amphitheatre 
of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital  where  he  enjoyed  great  popularity  among 
the  students,  especially  towards  the  end  of  his  career.  The  annual  contests 
in  bandaging,  surgical  drawing  and  in  dissecting,  given  by  Dawson,  were 
always  looked  forward  to  with  great  interest  by  the  students  of  the  Ohio 
College. 

Dawson  was  always  deeply  interested  in  the  affairs  of  the  profession. 
He  was  president  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine  in  1869  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  in  1871.  His  Presidential  Address 
delivered  before  the  State  Society  is  an  interesting  document,  remarkable  for 
the  terseness  and  force  of  its  style  and  for  the  unusual  amount  of  common 
sense  contained.  It  was  published  in  the  “Cincinnati  Clinic”  (June  22,  1872). 
His  statistical  researches  into  death  from  chloroform  possessed  a great  deal 
of  practical  value.  The  crowning  event  of  Dawson’s  life  was  his  election 
to  the  presidency  of  the  American  Medical  Association  in  1888  when  the  asso- 
ciation met  in  Cincinnati.  Dawson’s  contributions  to  the  literature  of  the 
profession  consisted  in  many  case  reports  which  all  bore  the  imprint  of  his 
personality:  brief,  pointed  and  practical.  In  discussing  the  purely  clinical 
features  of  a case,  he  was  at  his  best.  Towards  the  close  of  his  busy  life  he 
was  strangely  at  variance  with  the  completely  altered  character  of  surgical 
practice.  He  was  still  the  surgeon  of  old  who  with  the  aid  of  common  sense 
and  experience  was  circumventing  the  problems  of  surgical  pathology.  Daw- 
son died  in  1893. 

Among  the  men  who  made  medical  Cincinnati  famous,  Dawson  will 
always  occupy  an  honored  place.  He  was  a tower  of  strength  to  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  His  career  as  a medical  teacher  illustrates  the  tremendous 
influence  of  individuality  and  tradition.  As  an  exponent  of  surgical  science 
Dawson  was  the  equal  neither  of  his  great  predecessor  nor  of  his  distinguished 
successor.  Yet  there  is  a glamor  to  his  name  that  gains  in  brilliancy  as  the 
years  roll  on.  He  impersonated  a type,  a character  that  was  clear  and  dis- 
tinct, never  blurred  or  stencil-made.  The  medical  history  of  Cincinnati  was 
made  by  men  of  type,  by  men  who  did  not  develop  according  to  a prescribed 
pattern,  but  grew  away  from  the  stereotyped  and  conventional  plan  and  im- 
personated a design,  a character  of  their  own.  This  is  one  of  the  lessons  of 
the  past. 

Dawson’s  assistant  during  the  first  two  years  of  his  incumbency  of  the 
chair  of  surgery  was  Charles  Kearns  (born  1836)  who  graduated  from  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1863.  He  has  risen  to  considerable  prominence 
as  a surgeon.  He  is  practicing  in  Covington,  Ky. 


257 


T.  A.  Reamy  W.  w.  Dawson 


W.  W. Seeey 


Th.  Parvin 


Wm.  H.  Gobrecht 


258 


J.  I..  ClEEEY 


THEOPHILUS  PARVIN  was  born  in  1(S29  in  Buenos  Ayres,  where  his 
parents  were  temporarily  residing*.  He  came  to  the  Einited  States  at  an  early 
age  and  received  his  academic  education  at  the  University  of  Indiana,  gradu- 
ating in  1847.  He  spent  three  years  in  New  Jersey  teaching,  and  matricu- 
lated at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  where  he  graduated  in  medicine  in 
1852.  After  serving  as  an  interne  in  Wills  Hospital  in  Philadelphia  for  one 
year,  he  practiced  in  Indianapolis  for  nine  years.  He  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Indiana  State  Society.  He  accepted  the  chair  of  materia  medica 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1864.  In  1867  he  assumed  the  chair  of 
medical  and  surgical  diseases  of  women.  In  1869  his  chair  was  changed  to 
that  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children.  He  resigned  in  1870 
and  went  to  Indianapolis  as  professor  of  obstetrics  and  gynecology  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Indianapolis  and  in  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Indiana  after  its  consolidation  with  the  previously  named  school.  In 
1882  he  was  called  to  the  University  of  Louisville,  but  remained  there  only 
one  year  to  accept  the  appointment  of  professor  of  obstetrics,  gynecology  and 
pediatrics  in  Jefferson  Aledical  College.  His  career  as  the  master-obstetrician 
of  this  country  is  familiar  to  the  medical  profession  of  the  United  States. 
In  1879  he  presided  over  the  Atlantic  City  meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association.  During  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  he  ranked  un- 
doubtedly among  the  greatest  living  authorities  on  midwifery.  His  classical 
work  on  obstetrics  (“Science  and  Art  of  Obstetrics’’)  was  enthusiastically 
received  by  the  profession  of  this  country.  It  unquestionably  occupies  the 
same  position  among  obstetrical  books  as  Gross’  monumental  work  among 
surgical  books  and  Bartholow’s  “Materia  Medica”  among  works  on  thera- 
peutics. Not  the  least  admirable  feature  of  Parvin’s  book  is  his  simple,  yet 
elegant  diction.  Parvin  was  a scholarly  man  but  at  the  same  time  a splendid 
teacher,  a combination  rarely  found.  This  is  what  makes  his  writings  doubly 
valuable.  They  not  only  present  their  subjects  in  a perfect,  masterly  fashion, 
but  with  that  ease  and  simplicity  which  characterizes  the  great  teacher.  His 
American  edition  of  Winckel’s  Gynecology  was  likewise  a masterstroke.  His 
smaller  writings  are  scattered  through  the  columns  of  numerous  journals. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  American  Gynecological  Society.  The 
honors  which  were  showered  upon  Doctor  Parvin  at  home  and  abroad  have 
been  commensurate  with  his  exalted  rank  in  the  medical  profession  of  this 
country.  He  died  in  Philadelphia  in  1898. 

Personally  Parvin  was  a cultured  and  high-minded  gentleman.  As  a 
practitioner  in  Cincinnati  he  was  not  particularly  successful.  He  was  of  a 
retiring  disposition  and  had  a certain  noblesse  about  him  which  was  fre- 
quently misinterpreted.  He  was  an  aristocrat  at  heart,  a nobleman  by  nature. 
Nothing  was  more  foreign  to  him  than  the  reserve  of  snobbery.  Such  is  the 
estimate  which  Wm.  H.  Taylor  places  on  Parvin. 

Some  of  the  Introductory  Lectures  which  Parvin  was  in  the  habit  of 
delivering  at  the  beginning  of  the  Winter  terms,  deserve  to  be  preserved 

259 


as  beautiful  monuments  of  a great  physician  who  was  an  equally  good  man. 
One  of  them,  entitled  ‘‘Conduct  of  the  Medical  Student”  (delivered  before 
the  class  at  Jefferson  in  1894)  is  a remarkable  plea  for  personal,  civic  and 
professional  virtue.  Another  one  (“Religion  in  Its  Relation  to  Medical 
Students,”  Philadelphia,  1895)  attested  to  Parvin’s  deeply  religious  nature 
which  was  probably  inherited,  his  father  having  been  a minister.  A few  epi- 
grammatic quotations  from  the  two  lectures  named  will  throw  a character- 
istic light  on  the  psychological  makeup  of  Parvin,  the  man: 

“The  end  of  lust  is  suicide!”  . . .“Why  should  there  be  two  standards  of  morality, 
one  for  men  and  one  for  women?”  . . . “May  there  not  be  scars  upon  the  soul  more 
lasting  even  than  those  of  the  body?”  . . . “Let  your  ears  be  deaf  to  the  music  that 
lures  to  destruction,  your  eyes  be  blind  to  the  beauty  of  the  Siren  I”  . . . “By  the 
honor  you  bear  your  father  or  his  memory,  by  the  love  of  your  mother,  the  purity  of 
her  womanhood,  by  her  blessed  prayers  which  are  hovering  like  good  angels  over  your 
head,  by  a sister’s  farewell  kiss,  nay  more,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  her  who  some 
day  shall  be  nearer  and  dearer  to  you  than  father,  mother  and  sister,  I beseech  you : Let 
no  courtesane’s  caress  ever  pollute  your  lips.  Make  chastity  the  law  of  your  life!”  . . . 
“Religion  is  as  necessary  for  the  soul  of  man  as  food  is  for  his  body !”  , . . “What 
creed  shall  you  embrace?  Yonder  is  the  rainbow,  lifting  its  sublime  arch  to  the  heavens, 
and  resting  its  base  in  the  distant,  dim  horizon.  What  richness  of  beauty  in  its  various 
colors,  defying  the  art  of  man  to  reproduce  upon  canvas.  There  are  the  phenomena, 
but  what  is  the  noumenon,  the  underlying  reality,  the  essential  cause?  Light.  There 
could  be  no  rainbow  if  the  sun  did  not  shine.  Does  it  require  too  great  exercise  of 
the  imagination  to  find  in  this  decomposed  light,  variously  refracted  and  reflected  by 
rain-drop  prisms,  a partial  picture  of  religious  organizations  and  creeds?  There  is  the 
blue  of  Presbyterianism,  the  purple  of  Episcopacy,  the  indigo  of  the  Baptist,  the  orange 
of  Methodism,  the  yellow  of  Congregationalism,  yea,  the  scarlet  of  Roman  Catholicism. 
Yet,  by-and-by,  when  all  clouds  are  gone  from  human  minds,  when  all  errors  of  Scrip- 
tural interpretation  become  impossible,  and  human  reason,  divinely  guided,  discovers 
only  perfect  truth,  will  the  unity  of  the  church,  for  which  the  Saviour  prayed,  be  accom- 
plished; then  there  will  no  longer  be' rays  of  light  with  their  various  colors,  but  re-united, 
they  will  make  the  earth  splendid  in  glory  and  perfect  beauty.” 

ROBERTS  BARTHOLOW,  that  strange  child  of  genius,  who  was 
thought  by  his  contemporaries  to  be  the  very  embodiment  of  cold  cynicism, 
while  he  was,  strangely  enough,  the  fervent  apostle  of  faith  and  warm 
optimism  in  the  very  department  of  medical  knowledge  where  nowadays 
cynicism,  pessimism  and  hopeless  agnosticism  are  the  rule,  was  a native  of 
Maryland,  having  been  born  in  the  town  of  New  Windsor,  November  18, 
1831.  Every  one  knows  Goethe’s  famous  stanza : 

“My  father  gave  me  dignity. 

Of  thought  and  word  and  bearing ; 

My  mother  gave  me  jollity, 

Each  joyful  fancy  sharing.” 

Goethe  was  more  fortunate  than  young  Bartholow  in  whose  father’s 
veins  flowed  the  blood  of  the  stern,  austere  and  inflexible  French  Huguenots 
while  the  blood  legacy  from  his  mother’s  side  was  the  cold,  matter-of-fact 


2G0 


temperament  of  her  English  ancestry.  Thus  we  can  readily  understand  the 
peculiar  makeup  of  Bartholow,  who  never  had  an  intimate  friend  or  even  a 
close  associate.  A frigid  dignity,  a chilly  reserve  and  an  uninviting  manner 
which  was  not  lacking  in  a suggestion  of  cynicism  and  sarcasm,  stood  during 
his  whole  life  between  the  man  and  the  world  at  large,  or,  more  particularly, 
between  him  and  the  smaller  but  more  exacting  world  of  professional  asso- 
ciates. 

Bartholow’s  father  had  decreed  that  the  boy  should  follow  a professional 
career,  and,  accordingly,  gave  him  all  the  advantages  of  academic  preparation 
at  Calvert  College  (now  New  Windsor  College),  Maryland,  where  the  young 
student  received  his  baccalaureate  degree  in  the  arts  in  the  year  1848.  Young 
Bartholow  left  his  Alma  Mater  with  a splendid  record  of  diligence  and  schol- 
arship. He  had  shown  especial  aptness  in  the  languages  and  excelled  all  his 


Roberts  Barthoeow 

fellow  students  in  the  ease  and  perfection  with  which  he  mastered  the  Latin 
and  Greek  classics.  The  institution  where  he  received  his  academic  education 
was  under  the  management  of  a religious  brotherhood  and,  like  all  schools  of 
this  character,  noted  for  the  methodical  thoroughness  of  the  instruction  given, 
especially  in  the  cultivation  of  correct  style  and  elegant  diction.  Here  is 
where  the  foundation  was  laid  to  that  splendid  scholastic  and  belletristic  mas- 
tery which  made  Bartholow  the  peerless  wielder  of  the  pen.  Bartholow 
became  an  adept  in  the  use  of  French  and  German  while  at  Calvert  College. 
He  also  devoted  himself  with  much  zeal  to  the  study  of  chemistry  and  fre- 
quently in  after-life  referred  to  the  great  advantages  he  had  enjoyed  in 
this  respect.  While  a student,  he  acted  for  a while  as  assistant  instructor  of 
chemistry. 

He  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Maryland  and  graduated  after  completing  a three  years’  course. 


261 


For  a year  or  two  after  getting  his  medical  degree,  he  did  post-graduate  work 
in  the  clinics  and  hospitals  of  Baltimore  and  finally  applied  for  the  position 
of  assistant  surgeon  in  the  regular  army.  He  passed  a splendid  examination 
and  was  assigned  to  the  expedition  which  in  1857  was  sent  out  by  the  United 
States  Government  to  restore  order  in  the  Far  West  where  the  fanatic  Mor- 
mons under  Brigham  Young  and  the  belligerent  Indians  were  giving  rise 
to  no  end  of  trouble.  For  four  years  Bartholow  remained  at  one  or  the 
other  post  in  the  West,  the  monotony  of  army  life  being  occasionally  relieved 
by  the  ever-troublesome  Comanches  and  Apaches.  The  young  surgeon  de- 
voted his  leisure  time  to  the  study  and  investigation  of  the  febrile  diseases 
that  prevailed  in  the  Western  country.  In  conjunction  with  his  medical 
studies,  he  gave  much  attention  and  time  to  questions  of  meteorology  and 
botany. 

In  1861,  when  guns  were  trained  on  Fort  Sumter  and  the  long  and  bitter 
struggle  between  the  North  and  South  was  announced  by  the  roar  of  those 
guns,  Bartholow  was  stationed  at  Fort  Union,  New  Mexico.  When  the  orders 
of  the  Federal  Government  were  received  at  Fort  Union,  all  but  two  of  the 
officers  of  the  garrison  embraced  the  cause  of  the  South.  They  were  all 
Southerners  and  seceded  with  the  rest  of  the  people  of  the  South.  Bartholow 
was  one  of  the  two  officers  who  remained  loyal  to  the  flag  and  in  September, 
1861,  reported  in  Baltimore  under  orders  of  the  Government.  He  remained 
in  Baltimore  one  year  in  charge  of  one  of  the  military  hospitals.  The  fol- 
lowing year  found  him  in  Fort  Schuyler,  New  York,  where  he  was  on  duty 
as  surgeon  in  charge  of  a large  hospital.  Here  he  wrote,  by  order  of  his 
superior  officers,  ‘‘A  Manual  of  Instruction  for  Enlisting  and  Discharging 
Soldiers,”  which  became  the  official  handbook  for  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment Recruiting  and  Discharging  Stations.  Another  well-received  product 
of  his  pen  at  that  time  was  a book  on  “The  Qualifications  for  the  Medical 
Service.”  In  1863  Ee  was  ordered  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  as  one  of  the  sur- 
geons of  the  Lincoln  General  Hospital.  He  wrote  many  valuable  reports  and 
papers  on  sanitary  and  hygienic  subjects  for  the  benefit  of  the  medical  service 
in  the  field  hospitals.  In  1864  he  was  in  charge  of  the  general  military  hos- 
pital in  Nashville,  Tenn. 

From  1857  to  1864  he  had  been  uninterruptedly  in  the  service  of  his 
country  and  had  served  his  country  with  all  the  zeal  of  the  conscientious 
physician  and  dutiful  soldier.  In  1862  he  had  married  without,  however, 
being  able  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  domestic  happiness.  He  yearned  for  his 
little  fatherless  family,  and,  accordingly,  resigned  his  position  in  the  army. 
He  located  in  Cincinnati.  Doctor  Roelker,  who  enjoyed  a large  and  influ- 
ential clientele,  took  an  interest  in  the  young  and  capable  newcomer  and 
helped  him  to  get  a foothold  and  build  up  a practice.  Bartholow,  shortly 
after  his  arrival,  was  offered  the  chair  of  chemistry  at  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  and  accepted  it.  The  chair  of  chemistry  for  three  terms  had  been 
filled  by  Mr.  Nelson  Sayler,  an  attorney,  who  subsequently  rose  to  great 

262 


eminence  in  his  profession.  The  splendid  training  Bartholow  had  received 
in  the  laboratories  of  Calvert  College,  now  came  in  good  stead.  In  spite  of- 
the  objections  raised  by  certain  conservative  persons  who  preferred  a pro- 
fessional chemist  to  a ])racticing  physician  in  the  chair  of  chemistry,  he  made 
a splendid  showing  in  his  work.  He  taught  chemistry  in  its  relation  to 
medicine  and  introduced  new  and  startling  methods  of  study.  He  was  pro- 
gressive, resourceful  and  enthusiastic,  full  of  his  subject  and  determined  to 
win  out.  As  a side  issue  he  continued  his  studies  and  researches  in  sanitary 
science.  With  an  iconoclastic  disregard  for  precedent  he  invaded  the  unctions 
sessions  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine  which  were  then,  as  they 
frequently  are  now,  solemn  occasions  for  mutual  incense-offerings  where  any 
disturbance  of  convention  and  deviation  from  the  noiseless  tenor  of  long- 
established  tradition  were  and  are  looked  upon  as  sacrilegious.  Nothing 
reveals  the  true  mettle  of  a man  better  than  a self-dependent  disregard  for 
petrifactions,  a hatred  of  that  conservatism  which  is  synonymous  with  stag- 
nation and  consequent  decomposition.  Bartholow  found  in  the  placidly 
tranquil  meetings  of  the  academy  the  opportunity  for  the  development  and 
display  of  his  peculiar  gifts  of  fearless  analysis  and  criticism.  His  practical 
work  in  sanitary  science  during  the  cholera  epidemic  of  1866  was  of  a high 
order  of  merit. 

Bartholow  soon  acquired  an  extensive  practice.  He  connected  himself 
with  a number  of  hos])itals  and  gained  a reputation  as  a clinical  teacher  of 
medicine.  In  1866  he  took  charge  of  the  cholera  hospital  and  acquitted  him- 
self in  a most  creditable  manner.  In  1869  he  became  professor  of  materia 
medica  and  worked  in  his  new  field  with  all  his  characteristic  energy.  He 
revolutionized  the  methods  of  teaching  therapeutics  by  substituting  demon- 
stration for  explanation  and  by  illustrating  the  action  of  drugs  by  experi- 
ments on  animals. 

Bartholow  at  this  time  was  wonderfully  active  and  productive.  He  took 
care  of  an  immense  practice,  lectured  at  the  college  on  materia  medica,  ful- 
filled the  duties  of  numerous  hospital  positions,  started  the  “Clinic,”  a new 
medical  journal,  wrote  for  many  outside  journals,  published  several  small 
books  (among  them  one  on  “Disinfection,”  another  on  “Spermatorrhea,”  an- 
other on  “Hypodermic  Medication,”  the  latter  being  a bold  and  original 
treatise)  wrote  three  prize-essays  (for  the  Russell-prize  on  “Disinfection,” 
for  the  Fiske-prize  on  the  “Bromides,”  for  the  prize  offered  by  the  American 
Medical  Association  on  “Atropia”).  The  crowning  effort  of  all  this  tireless 
energy  and  ceaseless  toil  was  his  book  on  “Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics,” 
that  monument  of  therapeutic  optimism  which  since  its  first  appearance  has 
been  a source  of  information  and  inspiration  to  thousands  of  American  phy- 
sicians. Sixty  thousand  copies  of  this  great  work  have  been  sold.  It  was 
truly  the  work  of  a master  who  has  done  more  towards  directing  the  current 
of  therapeutic  thought  of  American  physicians  into  optimistic  channels  than 
any  other  writer  on  materia  medica.  He  is  the  second  really  great  writer  on 

263 


therapeutics  that  Cincinnati  may  claim  as  her  own.  John  Eberle,  crude, 
forcible  and  severely  logical,  Roberts  Bartholow,  accomplished,  optimistic  and 
always  authoritative,  represent  a combination  that  is  typical  of  practically 
the  highest  and  best  achievements  of  American  medicine  during  the  last 
century.  While  Eberle  was  more  or  less  a product  of  his  own  time,  reflecting 
the  rudimentary  state  of  knowledge  of  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, Bartholow  was  a leader  along  the  new  paths  which  he  had  blazed. 
Because  of  this  fact,  he  will  outlive  his  famous  predecessor. 

In  the  enunciation  and  defense  of  new  truths  Bartholow  was  incisively 
positive  even  to  the  point  of  brutality.  His  splendid  academic  training,  backed 
up  by  a vast  amount  of  observation  and  experience,  gave  him  the  advantage 
in  contests  with  most  men.  He  was  fearless  and  merciless.  This  is  what 
raised  hosts  of  enemies  for  him.  He  fought  with  weapons  of  analogy,  logic 
and  sarcasm  up  to  the  point  of  extermination.  His  intense  nature  could  not 
tolerate  concessions.  It  is  not  surprising  that  he  was  not  popular  in  the 
vulgar  sense  of  the  word.  The  truth  is  never  popular,  especially  if  it  is  car- 
ried into  the  camp  of  the  enemy  with  the  irresistible  force  of  superior  men- 
tality. It  is  the  men  of  Bartholow’s  type  who  give  to  the  profession  that 
virile  quality  which  is  so  rare  in  these  molluscoid  days  of  ours. 

That  Bartholow’s  temperament  did  not  permit  much  of  a lull  in  the 
doings  of  the  Ohio  faculty  is  not  surprising.  There  was  at  least  one  other 
member  of  the  faculty  in  those  days  who  was  of  Bartholow’s  mettle  intel- 
lectually and  never  went  out  of  his  way  to  avoid  a good  fight.  This  man  was 
the  inflammable  Blackman.  He  was  Bartholow’s  natural  enemy  and  never 
did  anything  to  disabuse  the  minds  of  the  profession  in  regard  to  this  fact. 
Blackman’s  attack  on  Bartholow  on  account  of  the  latter’s  literal  and  not 
liberal  use  of  a Erench  essay  on  locomotor  ataxia  caused  much  excitement  at 
the  tirrie.  Blackman’s  pamphlet  was  entitled : “Literary  Larceny  or  Prize 
Essaying  Made  Easy  and  Taught  In  a Single  Lesson.”  The  incident  is  re- 
ferred to  elsewhere. 

Bartholow,  within  a few  years,  had  risen  to  a position  of  great  prominence 
in  the  American  medical  profession.  His  labors  were  appreciated  and  re- 
warded far  and  near.  Mount  St.  Mary’s  College  made  him  a Doctor  of 
Laws.  The  College  of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia,  the  American  Philosoph- 
ical Society,  the  Royal  Medical  Society  of  Edinburgh  and  the  Society  of 
Practical  Medicine  in  Paris  conferred  Eellowships  upon  him. 

A most  sensational  incident  in  his  career  was  his  experimentation  on  the 
brain  of  a living  human  subject  which  evoked  a storm  of  criticism  and  con- 
demnation in  this  country  and  Europe.  The  incident  is  well  described  by 
Dr.  James  W.  Holland,  of  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in 
the  latter’s  splendid  “Memoir  of  R.  Bartholow.”  Doctor  Holland  says : 

“In  1874  Bartholow  published  in  the  ‘American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences’ 
a report  which  has  a retrospective  interest  and  also  illustrates  his  enterprise  as  the 
forerunner  of  all  who  operate  on  the  human  brain.  His  candid  article  has  been  re- 

264 


published  by  the  anti-vivisectionists  as  a highly  significant  tract  and  references  to  it 
are  still  seen  in  their  literature.  The  circumstances  are  these:  The  valuable  results 
flowing  from  the  experiments  made  by  Hitz.ig  and  Ferrier  upon  the  functions  of  the 
brain  in  animals  had  made  a decided  impression  upon  those  seeking  data  for  greater 
certainty  in  therapeutics.  No  one  had  as  yet  made  similar  experiments  upon  the  brain. 
A case  came  under  Doctor  Bartholow’s  care  of  rapidly  extending  epithelioma  of  the 
scalp  with  exposure  of  the  dura  mater.  To  the  ardent  investigator  this  was  a timely 
opportunity  provided  by  Nature,  and  not  to  make  use  of  it  for  extending  the  bounds 
of  knowledge,  would  be  to  fail  in  his  duty.  With  the  full  consent  of  the  hopeless 
patient,  who  knew  that  life  must  soon  be  extinguished  ’'y  the  spread  of  the  cancer, 
electric  stimulation  was  applied  directly  to  the  posterior  lobes  of  the  cerebrum  by  needle 
electrodes.  The  results  were  confirmatory  of  those  obtained  in  the  lower  animals  by 
Hitzig  and  Ferrier,  but  at  the  time  of  the  experiments,  and  for  some  hours  after, 
there  were  complications  which  denoted  that  the  knowledge  was  gained  at  the  expense 
of  some  injury  to  the  brain.  The  patient’s  death  some  days  later  was  ascribed  to 
extension  of  the  cancer  producing  a thrombus  of  the  longitudinal  sinus.  Doctor  Bar- 
tholow  got  little  credit  for  his  daring  in  invading  the  sacred  organ  or  his  candor  in 
reporting  the  whole  affair.  He  was  censured  by  medical  journals  at  home  and  abroad. 
To  his  critics  he  replied  that  he  had  no  reason  to  expect  that  the  faradic  current  would 
prove  electrolytic  and  that  the  tissues  would  not  escape  damage ; that  the  celebrated 
case  of  recovery,  after  a crowbar  had  passed  through  the  brain,  had  been  considered 
as  proof  that  the  brain  was  tolerant  of  injury,  but  that  his  recent  case  having  proved 
the  contrary,  it  would  be  criminal  to  repeat  such  experiments.  The  editor  of  the  ‘British 
Medical  Journal’  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  apology  of  Doctor  Bartholow  dis- 
armed further  criticism.  Since  that  time  the  whole  science  of  cerebral  surgery  has 
been  developed  upon  the  assumption  that  the  antiseptic  method  gives  plenary  indulgence 
for  that  form  of  sacrilege.” 

In  1879,  when  Bartholow  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  powers  as  a teacher  and 
author,  and  enjoying  what  was  thought  to  be  the  largest  and  most  lucrative 
practice  in  Cincinnati,  Jefiferson  Medical  College,  of  Philadelphia,  was  casting 
about  for  a successor  to  Dr.  John  Biddle,  late  professor  of  materia  medica 
and  therapeutics.  The  appointment  was  offered  to  Bartholow  who  accepted 
it.  He  was  at  that  time  professor  of  practice  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
having  five  years  previously  (1874)  become  the  successor  of  the  great  clin- 
ical teacher,  James  Graham.  It  has  often  been  a matter  of  speculation  why 
Bartholow  was  so  readily  induced  to  accept  the  Philadelphia  offer.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  the  passing  away  of  most  of  the  associates  of  his  early  labors, 
like  Blackman,  Graham  and  Wright,  had  left  him  comparatively  isolated 
among  his  younger  colleagues.  Bartholow  represented  a strange  mixture  of 
traits  of  mind  and  heart.  There  is  such  a thing  as  a companionship  of  oppo- 
sition which  holds  men  together  who  respect  each  other  because  of  the  af- 
finity of  their  mettle.  When  the  antagonist  is  gone,  the  spirit  of  active 
opposition,  the  life-element  of  some  minds,  is  hushed  and  a void  with  a death- 
like stillness  is  left  behind.  Some  say  that  Bartholow  aspired  to  the  highest 
scientific  position  in  American  medicine  and  that  a post  at  some  Eastern  col- 
lege would  be  the  necessary  stepping-stone.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Bartholow, 
not  in  the  best  of  health  and  perhaps  tempted  by  the  prospect  of  a few  years 
of  comparative  leisure  and  chance  to  recuperate,  moved  to  Philadelphia,  and 

265 


began  his  new  labors  as  the  associate  of  J.  M.  DaCosta,  the  distinguished 
clinician,  who  shared  the  medical  clinic  with  Bartholow  at  Jefferson.  Thus 
Cincinnati  paid  an  old  debt  to  Philadelphia  when  Bartholow  became  the 
incumbent  of  the  chair  which  John  Eberle  years  ago  had  vacated  to  become  a 
professor  in  Cincinnati. 

The  splendid  reputation  which  preceded  Bartholow  was  fully  sustained 
by  his  work  as  a teacher  of  medicine  in  Philadelphia.  The  great  effort  of  his 
Eastern  career  was  the  publication  of  his  “Practice  of  Medicine,”  a monu- 
mental work  in  which  he  reproduced  the  lectures  he  had  delivered  at  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  work  was  received  with  much  favor  by  the 
profession.  It  has  been  translated  into  the  Japanese.  Bartholow  was  an 
associate  editor  of  the  “Medical  News”  and  a much-sought-after  lecturer  and 
consultant.  In  1893  he  gave  up  his  active  college  work  and  spent  most  of 
his  time  at  his  summer  home  in  Buzzard’s  Bay,  Mass.,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
well-merited  fame  as  one  of  the  foremost  physicians  of  his  time.  His  health 
was  gradually  failing.  He  suffered  from  diabetes  which  eventually  was  com- 
plicated by  a mental  breakdown.  After  a long  illness  he  died  at  his  Philadel- 
phia home  May  10,  1904,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 

“In  his  personal  appearance,”  says  Dr.  J.  N.  Holland,  “there  was  an  air  of  distinc- 
tion, due  in  part  to  his  dignified  demeanor  and  his  careful  dress.  Of  medium  height 
and  weight,  his  bearing  was  reserved  and  lacking  in  geniality.  While  his  professional 
expertness  was  of  undoubted  value  to  society,  as  an  unremitting  student,  with  the  habit 
of  seclusion,  the  social  life  had  few  charms  for  him.” 

“His  cool  and  somewhat  cynical  manner  gave  no  intimation  of  his  alertness  and 
mobility.  With  mental  powers  always  in  light  marching  order,  he  was  ready  for 
lecture,  consultation,  post-mortem,  or  critique,  able  to  cope  with  any  adversary  that 
his  aggressive  energies  might  arouse.  The  secret  of  his  material  success  won  without 
the  arts  that  make  for  popularity  must  be  found  in  his  mental  capacity,  industry,  and 
resolution,  qualities  which  united  in  one  brain  always  give  to  the  possessor  ascendency 
over  others.” 

Bartliolow’s  work  in  Cincinnati  was  productive  of  much  good  to  the  med- 
ical life  of  the  city.  With  the  versality  and  resourcefulness  of  a Humboldt 
he  combined  the  aggressiveness  and  peppery  temper  of  a Benvenuto  Cellini, 
always  ready  to  stir  things  in  the  interest  of  life,  activity  and  progress.  In 
his  eyes  persons  did  not  exist,  except  as  far  as  they  were  carriers  of  ideas  and 
principles.  He  did  not  love  men  nor  did  he  fear  them.  He  was  too  much 
himself  to  toady  to  the  mighty  ones  or  to  suppress  those  beneath  him.  He 
despised  the  provincialism  in  medicine  which  has  been  such  a curse  in  the 
latter-day  history  of  medicine  in  Cincinnati.  He  recognized  but  one  criterion 
in  medicine,  that  of  truth  as  shown  by  analysis.  In  therapeutics  he  was 
broad  and  ever  mindful  of  the  purpose  of  all  therapy,  to-wit : to  be  a means 
to  the  end.  He  did  not  care  whence  a therapeutic  suggestion  came,  provided 
it  could  stand  the  crucial  test  of  analysis.  The  electro-therapeutic  room 
equipped  by  him  in  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital  and  exhaustively  described 


266 


in  the  “Clinic”  (1872)  was  far  ahead  of  his  time  and  would  be  a credit  to 
anyone  even  today.  His  notions  about  galvanism  are  interesting  because 
novel  and  original.  He  gave  the  Eclectic  school  credit  for  doing  the  best 
research  work  in  botany  and  pharmacology.  His  ever-alert  mind  gleaned  and 
culled  everywhere  and  at  all  times.  He  adopted  as  his  motto : 

“Quidqiiid  agis,  prudenter  agas  et  respice  finem !” 

He  always  proceeded  with  care  and  forethought,  his  mind’s  eye  riveted 
on  the  final  purpose  of  all  therapeutic  and  clinical  work,  to-wit : to  add  to 
our  positive  knowledge  of  everything  pertaining  to  the  treatment  and  cure  of 
disease.  When  all  that  can  be  said  about  Bartholow  has  been  told,  we  are 
bound  to  recognize  his  exalted  position  as  the  bearer  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished names  in  the  annals  of  American  medicine. 

RICHARD  W.  SAUNDERS,  for  a time  associated  with  Geo.  C.  Black- 
man, was  born  in  1835  of  English  parents  who  were  living  in  Bologna,  Italy, 
and  afterwards  moved  to  Elorence  where  young  Saunders  received  his  lit- 
erary education  which  was  completed  at  the  University  of  Pisa.  At  Pisa  he 
graduated  in  medicine.  He  continued  his  studies  in  Vienna,  Paris  and 
London.  At  the  latter  place  he  became  a Eellow  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons.  In  1858  he  entered  the  medical  service  of  the  English  army. 
He  was  stationed  at  Eermay,  near  Cork,  Ireland,  in  Calcutta,  India,  Bengal, 
Cawnpore,  during  the  Sepoy  uprising,  Alexandria,  Cairo,  Suez,  Aden  and 
Ceylon.  He  took  tropical  fever  and  was  ordered  to  England.  He  made 
the  trip  from  Ceylon  via  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  St.  Helena  in  119  days. 
After  his  recovery  he  was  sent  to  Halifax,  N.  A.,  and  later  to  Montreal. 
He  resigned  his  position  in  1865.  He  had  wooed  and  won  one  of  Kentucky’s 
fair  daughters  and,  in  deference  to  her  wishes,  came  to  Cincinnati  to  prac- 
tice his  profession.  Here  he  entered  into  a partnership  with  Blackman,  which, 
however,  was  not  of  long  duration.  He  was  a mild-mannered  European 
gentleman  who  certainly  was  not  qualified  to  be  the  running  mate  of  Black- 
man, a veritable  Jupiter  tonans.  Saunder’s  health  was  not  good  and  com- 
pelled him  to  retire  from  practice  at  a comparatively  early  age.  He  spent 
several  years  in  Europe.  Upon  his  return  he  lived  in  retirement  in  New- 
port, Ky.,  indulging  his  love  of  natural  history  and  of  art  to  the  utmost.  He 
was  an  expert  botanist,  a connoisseur  of  art,  a lover  of  literature  and  a 
linguist  of  extraordinary  ability.  The  Italian  Government  decorated  him  in 
recognition  of  his  services  as  Italian  Consul  in  Cincinnati.  Saunders  was  one 
of  the  best  educated  and  most  highly  polished  men  that  ever  practiced  medi- 
cine in  Cincinnati.  He  was  prosector  of  surgery  at  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  1865-’66.  He  died  in  1881. 


267 


CHARLES  O.  WRIGHT,  oldest  son  of  the  distinguished  M.  B.  Wright, 
was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1835  and  came  to  Cincinnati  when  his  father 
was  appointed  a professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1838.  Young 
Wright  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  W.  W.  Dawson  in  1855,  but 
gave  up  his  medical  studies  the  following  year  to  engage  in  a commercial 
pursuit  in  California.  The  spirit  of  adventure  once  aroused  gave  him  no 
rest.  For  three  years  he  wandered  from  place  to  place.  He  visited  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  China,  Japan,  Siam,  India  and  Africa.  After  three  years 
he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  became  a student  of  medicine  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  He  graduated  in  1862  and  immediately  entered  the  medical 
service  of  the  army  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  35th  Regiment  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  He  was  captured  at  Chickamauga  and  spent  almost  two  years 
in  Libby  Prison  at  Richmond,  Va.  He  was  exchanged  and  rejoined  his 
regiment  when  he  took  sick  and  was  compelled  to  return  home.  In  1864  he 
served  as  an  interne  in  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  The  following  year  he  was 
appointed  prosector  of  anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  but  resigned 
at  the  end  of  the  term.  For  a short  time  he  was  dermatologist  to  the  Good 
Samaritan  Hospital.  He  died  in  1889. 

Sx\MUEL  NICKLES,  for  thirty-three  years  a teacher  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  and  revered  by  thousands  of  physicians  who  can  not  forget 
the  conscientious  devotion  to  duty,  the  plain  honesty  and  dry,  quaint  humor  of 
“Old  Sammy  Nickles,”  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1833,  the  child  of  Swiss- 
German  immigrants.  His  father  died,  leaving  the  family  in  dire  distress. 
Samuel  was  compelled  to  work  in  order  to  help  in  the  support  of  his  mother 
who  had  three  children  besides  himself.  In  his  spare  moments  and  late  at 
night,  when  others  of  his  age  were  spending  their  time  amid  fun  and  frolic, 
young  Nickles  could  be  found  in  his  poorly  furnished  but  neatly  kept  room 
with  a book  or  two  and  a dim  candle-light  as  his  only  companions.  He 
studied  and  worked  incessantly  to  get  an  education.  He  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  study  medicine  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  matriculated  at  the 
old  Eclectic  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  getting  his  degree  in  1856. 
In  1859  he  graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  He  at  once  entered 
general  practice.  During  the  war  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  surgeon  of  the 
81st  Regiment  Ohio  Reserve  Militia.  When  the  war  was  over,  he  took  a 
course  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  was  granted  a degree  at  the  end 
of  the  term  (1865).  He  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  the  same 
year.  In  1869  P.  S.  Conner  who  had  been  professor  of  physics  and  medical 
chemistry,  was  made  professor  of  surgical  anatomy,  and  Nickles  became  his 
successor  in  the  chair  of  physics  and  medical  chemistry.  In  1871  the  chair 
was  changed  to  that  of  chemistry  and  pharmacy.  In  1874  R.  Bartholow 
became  the  successor  of  J.  Graham  in  the  chair  of  practice  and  Nickles  was 
appointed  professor  of  materia  medica,  succeeding  Bartholow.  In  1898, 
after  thirty-five  years  of  faithful  service,  Nickles  resigned  his  chair  and 
retired  from  practice.  He  was  president  of  the  Academy  oh  Medicine  in  1885. 


268 


Nickles’s  principal  contributions  to  medical  literature  are  to  be  found  in 
the  ‘‘Reference  Handbook  of  the  Medical  Sciences.”  In  the  third  volume  are 
contained  his  papers  on  cholagogues  (p.  28),  diuretics  (p.  543)  and  emetics 
(p.  809),  in  the  fourth  volume  papers  on  expectorants  (p.  48)  and  hypnotics 
(p.  813)  ; in  the  fifth  volume  on  laxatives  (p.  468)  ; in  the  sixth  volume  on 
purgatives  or  cathartics  (p.  809)  ; in  the  seventh  volume  on  tonics  (p.  805). 
Other  papers  of  value  are  on  digitalis  (Am.  Journal  Med.  Sc.,  Vol.  58, 
p.  410)  and  on  the  diuretic  action  of  calomel  (Ohio  Med.  Journal,  Vol.  III., 
p.  117). 

In  1868  he  translated  Emil  Siegle’s  “Treatment  of  Diseases  of  the  Throat 
and  Lungs  by  Inhalation”  (2d  ed.),  a book  of  136  pages.  The  translation 
was  published  by  R.  W.  Carroll  & Co.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Nickles  did  his  best  work  in  the  lecture  room  where  his  deliberate  manner 
and  systematic  mode  of  procedure  were- well  adapted  to  the  subject  of  materia 
medica.  His  knowledge  of  the  subject  was  vast  and  thoroughly  digested.  In 
addition  to  his  profession  he  was  much  interested  and  well  read  in  German 
literature.  After  his  retirement  (1898)  he  spent  his  time  in  communion  with 
the  great  naturalists  and  philosophers,  especially  Ernst  Haeckel,  whom  he 
revered  almost  to  the  point  of  worship.  Like  his  great  idol  he  was  an  agnostic 
of  the  optimistic  type.  He  died  in  1908. 

As  a medical  teacher  Nickles,  like  Blackman,  Graham,  Wright  and  the 
other  giants  of  those  days,  did  not  impersonate  a stereotyped  copy  or  a 
mediocre  reproduction  of  some  model  or  type.  Samuel  Nickles  did  not  fit 
into  a prescribed-  mould.  He  was  a type,  not  a stereotype.  The  generation 
which  gave  him  to  the  profession  was  a generation  of  great  teachers  and 
leaders  because  it  was  a generation  of  individualities. 

WM.  WALLACE  SEELY  was  born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  in 
1838.  His  literary  education  was  obtained  at  Phillip’s  Academy,  Andover, 
Mass.,  and  Yale  College.  He  graduated  at  Yale  in  1862,  admittedly  the  best 
all-round  Yale  graduate  of  that  year.  He  excelled  in  literature  and  in  the 
sciences  and  was  a versatile  athlete.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  graduating  in  1864.  The  following  year  he  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  demonstrator  of  anatomy.  In  1865  a chair  of  ophthalmology  and 
otology  was  created  and  Seely  was  appointed  to  fill  it.  He  resigned  in  1899. 
During  his  service  as  a member  of  the  faculty  he  served  as  the  latter’s  secre- 
tary for  a number  of  years.  He  was  dean  of  the  faculty  from  1881  to  1900. 
He  died  suddenly  in  1903. 

Seely  was  a man  of  great  ability.  As  an  oculist  he  enjoyed  a vast  reputa- 
tion. He  was  a wonderfully  dexterous  operator  and,  during  the  early  part 
of  his  career,  a frequent  contributor  to  the  literature  of  his  specialty.  Seely 
was  liberally  endowed  with  wordly  goods,  which  fact  redounded  to  the  dis- 
advantage of  the  profession  because  it  deprived  the  latter  of  the  work  which 
this  brilliant  man  would  have  given  to  medicine,  if  the  attractions  of  social 


269 


position  had  not  absorbed  so  much  of  his  time  and  enegy.  His  persistent 
advocacy  of  the  yellow  oxide  of  mercury  ointment  in  ophthalmology  has 
become  thoroughly  identified  with  his  name. 

WM.  H.  GOBRECHT,  popular  teacher  of  anatomy  and  editor  of  an 
American  edition  of  Erasmus  Wilson’s  Anatomy,  was  a native  of  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  was  born  in  1828.  He  graduated  at  the  Philadelphia  Central 
High  School  in  1846  and  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1849.  He  was  a Eellow  of  the  Colleg'e  of  Physicians  of 
Philadelphia.  From  1858  to  1861  he  was  professor  of  anatomy  in  his  Alma 
Mater.  His  excellent  edition  of  Wilson’s  Anatomy  appeared  in  1858.  In 
August,  1861,  he  enlisted  and  served  as  a surgeon  of  the  49th  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry  until  January,  1863.  From  March,  1863,  to  October, 
1865,  he  was  on  duty  in  Covington,  Ky.,  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  as  surgeon  of 
the  United  States  Volunteers  and  a member  of  the  Army  Medical  Examining- 
Board,  also  at  Camp  Dennison  and  Johnson’s  Island,  Ohio,  being  brevetted 
Lieutenant-Colonel  for  faithful  and  meritorious  service.  In  1865  he  became 
professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  filled  this  chair  for 
ten  years.  In  1878  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  professor  of  anatomy  in 
the  Fort  Wayne  College  of  Medicine,  Indiana,  and  served  in  this  capacity 
until  1882,  being  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  associate  editors  of  the  Fort 
Wayne  Journal  of  Medicine.  From  1882  to  1885  and  again  from  1890  to  1893 
he  served  as  one  of  the  medical  attachees  of  the  Pension  Bureau  in  Wash- 
ington. He  died  in  the  latter  city  in  1901.  His  assistant  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  from  1867  to  1870  was  J.  Q.  A.  Hudson,  who  subsequently 
located  in  Meigs  County,  where  he  died  in  1875. 

PHINEAS  SANBORN  CONNER  whose  name  is  a synonym  for  the 
Periclean  age  in  the  history  of  the  Ohio  College,  was  born  at  West  Chester, 
Pa.,  August  23,  1839.  When  he  was  two  years  old,  his  parents  removed  to 
Camden  County,  North  Carolina,  and  three  years  later  to  Cincinnati.  His 
father.  Dr.  P.  S.  Conner,  Sr.,  was  a practicing  physician,  a man  with  a 
modest,  retiring  disposition,  well-informed  but  averse  to  display  of  any  kind. 
He  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1854.  The  mother  was  a most  extraordinary  woman, 
energetic,  brainy  and  scholarly.  It  was  this  mother  who  moulded  the  char- 
acter of  the  son.  The  latter  developed  under  the  spell  of  his  mother’s  influ- 
ence and,  throughout  his  illustrious  career,  has  drawn  no  small  share  of 
strength  and  inspiration  from  her  memory.  In  1855  young  Conner  entered 
Dartmouth  College  and  graduated  in  1859.  He  attended  lectures  at  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio  1859-’60  and  at  Jeflferson  Medical  College  1860-’61.  He 
graduated  at  Jefferson  in  1861.  During  his  student  days  and  after  graduation 
he  saw  much  practical  work,  first  at  a retreat  for  the  insane  at  Hartford, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  stationed  as  apothecary  and  assistant  physician,  and  later 
on  in  some  of  the  New  York  Hospitals.  In  November,  1861,  he  passed  the 


270 


Army  Medical  Board  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Government  as  acting 
assistant  surgeon  on  the  staff  of  the  Columbia  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 
In  April,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  assistant  surgeon  of  the  United  States 
Army.  He  remained  in  the  service  until  August,  1866,  having  served  in 
various  capacities  in  the  Washington  hospitals,  in  the  Department  of  the 
Gulf,  at  Fort  Columbus  (New  York  Harbor)  and  in  the  Department  of  North 
Carolina.  He  was  brevetted  captain  and  major  in  the  United  States  Army 
"‘for  faithful  and  meritorious  service  during  the  war.” 

The  war  being  over,  Conner  located  in  Cincinnati  and  dispelled  the  weary 
hours  of  vigil  which  make  up  the  largest  portion  of  every  young  man’s  first 
year  in  practice,  by  filling  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery.  In  this  position  he  succeeded  Thomas  Wood,  who 
had  held  the  chair  for  two  terms  following  the  death  of  A.  H.  Baker,  founder 
of  and  first  professor  of  surgery  in  the  college.  Conner’s  associates  in  the 


P.  S.  Conner 


college  were  D.  D.  Bramble  who  had  just  entered  the  school  and  was  occupy- 
ing the  chair- of  anatomy;  R.  R.  Mcllvaine,  who  was  teaching  physiology; 
R.  C.  Stockton  Reed,  professor  of  materia  medica;  B.  S.  Lawson,  professor 
of  practice ; E.  Buckner  and  Thos.  Carroll,  who  divided  the  chair  of  obstetrics 
and  gynecology,  and — last  but  not  least — the  great  Daniel  Vaughn,  professor 
of  chemistry,  who  took  a deep  interest  in  young  Conner  and  befriended  him 
in  many  ways.  In  1868  Conner  was  appointed  professor  of  physics  and 
medical  chemistry  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  succeeding*  Roberts  Bar- 
tholow  who  had  been  transferred  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica.  In  1869 
Conner  became  professor  of  surgical  anatomy.  In  1875  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  clinical  surgery  in  Dartmouth  College,  his  duties  at  the  latter 
institution  requiring  his  presence  during  the  Spring  and  Summer  months. 
In  1887  he  became  professor  of  surgery  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 


He  severed  his  active  connection  with  the  college  in  1905  when  he  resigned 
and  yielded  his  chair  to  his  successor,  Joseph  Ransohofif.  Some  of  his  best 
work  as  a teacher  of  surgery  was  done  in  the  amphitheaters  of  the  Cincin- 
nati and  Good  Samaritan  Hospitals.  He  was  a member  of  the  Examining 
Board  which  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  after  the  Spanish-Amer- 
ican  war  to  investigate  the  medical  management  of  the  army  during  the  war. 

Conner  has  contributed  liberally  to  the  literature  of  surgery.  He  was 
one  of  the  associate  editors  of  Keen  and  White’s  American  Text-book  of 
Surgery.  To  Ashhurst’s  International  Encyclopedia  of  Surgery”  he  con- 
tributed monographs  on  “Gunshot  Wounds”  and  “Injuries  and  Diseases  of 
Muscles,  Tendons  and  Easciae,”  to  Pepper’s  “System  of  Practical  Medicine” 
one  on  “Tetanus,”  to  Dennis’s  “System  of  Surgery”  one  on  “Gunshot 
Wounds.” 

In  the  “Clinic,”  the  official  organ  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  the 
following  papers  appeared: 

“Excision  of  hip.”  1871.  L,  205,  219.  “Hernia  cerebri.”  1872.  II.,  301-303.  “Dry 
earth  as  a surgical  dressing.”  1872,  III.,  109.  “The  anatomists  after  Vesalius.”  1874. 
VI.,  145-151.  “Exsection  of  portions  of  the  supra-  and  infra-orbital  nerves  for  the 
relief  of  tic  douloureux.”  1874.  VII.,  97-99.  “Resection  of  metatarsus,  anterior  tarsus 
and  parts  of  astragulus  and  os  calcis.  Recovery  with  useful  foot.”  1875.  IX.,  73-77. 
“Popliteal  aneurism.  Amputation.”  1875.  I.,  185.  “Webbed  fingers.”  1875.  IX., 

29-31.  “Strangulated  femoral  hernia  in  the  male.”  1875.  VIII.,  73.  “The  ‘Bavarian’ 
plaster  dressing  in  the  treatment  of  fractures,  especially  of  the  lower  extremity.”  1875. 
IV.,  133.  “Pistol  wounds  of  the  heart.”  1876.  X.,  255-257. 

The  following  papers  appeared  in  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic”  and  “Lancet- 
Clinic”  : 

“Subcutaneous  osteotomy  for  the  relief  of  vicious  ankylosis  of  knee.”  1878.  I.,  1-4, 

“Tracheotomy  with  the  thermo-cautery.”  1879,  II.,  261.  “Cancer:  has  it  a constitu- 
tional or  local  origin?”  1879.  II.,  381-383.  “A  case  of  strangulated  hernia;  operation; 
persistence  of  stercoraceous  vomiting;  death;  autopsy.”  1880.  IV.,  25.  “Nascent  oxygen 
in  the  treatment  of  wounds,  ulcers,  etc.”  1880.  IV.,  51.  “Bromide  of  ethyl.”  1880. 
IV.,  395.  “Fracture  of  the  lower  end  of  the  radius:  how  is  it  produced?”  1881.  VI., 
371-373.  “Clinical  lecture  on  primary  venereal  ulcers.”  1881.  VI.,  165-171,  “Clinical 
lecture  on  femoral  hernia.”  1881.  VI.,  49-51.  “Scirrhus  in  the  male  breast.”  1881. 
VI.,  524.  “Tetanus,  its  symptomatology  and  pathology.”  1882.  IX.,  534-537.  “Deformities 
of  the  fingers.  1882.  IX.,  439.  “External  perineal  urethrotomy.”  1882.  IX.,  1.  “Ele- 
phantiasis of  the  vulva.”  1883.  X.,  108.  “Comminuted  fracture  of  the  knee-joint.” 

1883.  X.,  108.  “Punctured  wounds  of  the  skull.”  1884.  XII.,  1-4.  “Vesical  explora- 

tions.” 1885.  XIV.,  737.  “Chronic  cystitis.”  1886.  XVI.,  445-447.  “Caries  of  the 
tarsus.”  1888.  XXL,  671-676. 

The  following  papers  appeared  in  the  “Journal  of  the  American  Medical 
Association” : 

“The  medical  service  of  the  U.  S.  Pension  Bureau.”  1886.  VII.,  570-572.  “Case  of 
sarcoma  of  the  scalp.”  1888.  XL,  233.  “Address  on  surgery  delivered  at  the  fortieth 
annual  meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  Newport,  R.  L,  June  27,  1889.” 

272 


1889.  XIII.,  15-19.  “Fracture  lower  end  of  the  radius.”  1894.  XXIII.,  54.  “Address 
at  the  closing  exercises  of  the  Army  Medical  School,  April  1,  1898.”  1898.  XXX., 

941-944. 

In  the  transactions  of  the  American  Surgical  Association  the  following 
papers  were  published : 

“Excision  of  the  tarsus  with  a report  of  two  successful  removals  of  the  entire  tarsus.” 
1883.  I.,  285-305.  “Willard  Parker  (1800-1884),  Obituary.”  1885.  II.,  39.  “Trau- 
matic cephalhydrocele  with  a report  of  two  cases.”  1885.  II.,  55-63.  “The  etiology  of 
traumatic  tetanus.”  1885.  III.,  315-334.  “Moses  Gunn  (1822-1887).  Necrology.”  1888. 
VI.,  27.  “Surgical  treatment  of  tumors  of  the  bladder.”  1890.  VIII.,  21-38. 

The  transactions  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  contain  the  following 
papers : 

“Surgical  applications  of  carbolic  acid.”  1876.  III.,  325.  “On  the  use  of  plaster  of 
Paris  roller  in  the  treatment  of  club-foot.”  1879.  XXXIV.,  121.  “External  perineal 
urethrotomy.”  1882.  XXXVII.,  81-85.  “Vescical  explorations.”  1885.  73-78. 

The  following  papers  appeared  in  various  journals: 

“Meckel’s  ganglion  and  the  propriety  of  its  removal  for  the  relief  of  neuralgia  of 
the  second  branch  of  the  fifth  pair  of  nerves.”  Am.  J.  Med.  Sc.,  Phila.  1870.  IX.,  359- 
373.  “Foreign  body  in  air-passages ; tracheotomy ; expulsion  after  sixteen  days.”  Am.  J. 
Med.  Sc.,  Phila.  1877.  XXIV.,  5<)5.  “On  injuries  of  the  hand.”  Med.  News  & Libr., 
Phila.  1879.  XXXVII. , 65-69.  “On  the  use  of  the  actual  cautery  (the  thermo-cautery 
of  Paquelin)  in  the  treatment  of  carbuncle.”  Med.  News,  Phila.  1882.  XII.,  648.  “Ex- 
vision of  the  tarsus.”  Phila.  Med.  Times.  1882-’83.  XIII.,  607-609.  “Fracture  of  the 
neck  of  the  thigh-bone.”  Fort  Wayne  J.  Med.  Sc.  1885-’86.  V.,  69-73.  “The  etiology 

of  traumatic  tetanus.”  Med.  News,  Phila.  1885.  XLVII.,  88-90.  “Strangulated  hernia 
with  a report  of  33  herniotomies.”  Med.  News,  Phila.  1886.  XLIX.,  621-623.  “Hos- 
pitals for  the  sick;  their  construction  and  management.”  Proc.  Nat.  Confer.  Char., 
Boston.  1886.  237-250.  “Specimen  of  myxosarcoma  of  the  scalp.”  Semi-monthly  J. 

Proc.  Path,  Soc.,  Phila.,  Wilmington.  1886.  I.,  14.  “Legal  Medicine.”  Proc.  Alumni 
Assn.  M.  College  of  Ohio,  Cincinnati.  1888.  33-36.  “The  late  manifestations  of  syphi- 
lis.” Trans.  Cong.  Am.  Phys.  & Surg.  1891.  New  Haven.  1892.  IL,  78-93.  “Stab 
wound  of  the  chest.”  International  Clinic,  Phila.  1891.  IL,  106-110.  “Tubercular  dis- 
ease of  the  tarsus;  operation.”  International  Clinic,  Phila.  1891.  IL,  110-112.  “Essen- 
tials and  non-essentials  in  medical  education.”  Bull.  Acad.  Med.,  Easton,  Pa.  1892. 
129-136.  “Late  syphilis.”  Med.  News,  Phila.  1892.  LX.,  85-92,  “Operative  treatment 
of  cancer  of  lips,  tongue,  floor  of  mouth  and  pharynx.”  Ann.  Surg.,  Phila.  1895.  XXIL, 
445-450.  “Dartmouth  men  in  medicine”  (pamphlet).  “Historical  address  at  Dartmouth 
Centennial”  (pamphlet). 

For  fully  twenty-five  years  Conner  was  the  commanding  figure  in  the  old 
Ohio  College.  He  was  typical  of  its  best  traditions  and  scholarship.  He  was 
one  of  the  last  survivors  of  a generation  of  teachers  that  made  Cincinnati  a 
great  medical  center.  Like  his  associates  Conner  was  an  individuality  that 
at  all  times  stood  out  in  characteristic  bold  relief,  neither  conventional  nor 
stencil-made,  but  always  an  original  well-defined  type.  It  was  men  of  this  kind 
that  loomed  up  and  drew  the  attention  of  the  whole  country  to  the  town 


273 


within  whose  walls  these  giants  had  arisen : Blackman,  Graham,  Bartholow, 
Seely,  Dawson,  Whittaker,  Conner,  Reamy  and  others.  It  was  said  of  the 
son  of  Peleus,  that  his  armor  was  too  large  and  heavy  for  any  of  his  Myrmi- 
dons to  don.  What  will  posterity  say  of  Conner  and  his  followers?  To 
hundreds  of  physicians  throughout  the  Western  country  one  of  the  cherished 
memories  of  their  student  days  is  the  Agamemnon-like  pose,  the  intense 
nature  and  supremely  self-confident  air  of  that  born  chieftain,  P.  S.  Conner. 
He  was  always  himself,  fair  and  square,  ruggedly  honest,  sometimes  wrong 
in  his  judgment,  but  always  right  at  heart.  Posterity  will  recognize  a trinity 
of  great  surgeons  that  have  shed  imperishable  luster  upon  the  Ohio  College, 
R.  D.  Mussey,  G.  C.  Blackman  and  P.  S.  Conner.  Dartmouth  College  showed 
her  appreciation  of  her  illustrious  alumnus  as  early  as  1884  when  the  ven- 
erable Alma  Mater  of  Mussey  and  other  famous  men  conferred  upon  Conner 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  Conner  died  March  26,  1909.  The  last  few 
years  of  his  nfe  were  embittered  by  failing  health  and  by  the  loss  of  his  wife 
and  his  son.  It  is  safe  to  predict  that  many  years  will  pass  before  a 
man  will  arise  in  Cincinnati  who  will  take  the  place  of  P.  S.  Conner  as  a 
power  for  good  in  the  profession,  morally  and  educationally.  To  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  his  forced  retirement  at  a critical  time  in  its  history  proved 
to  be  a calamity  in  more  senses  than  one. 

CHARLES  S.  MUSCROFT  was  born  in  Sheffield,  England,  in  1820. 
He  came  to  this  country  when  he  was  two  years  old.  His  father  was  one  of 
the  colonists  who  were  to  take  part  in  the  community  experiment  at  New 
Harmony,  Ind.  On  his  way  to  New  Harmony  he  was  detained  in  Cincinnati 
and  decided  to  remain  here.  He  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Ohio 
Mechanics  Institute. 

Young  Muscroft  was  raised  in  Cincinnati.  He  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine under  Chas.  L.  Avery  and  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in 
1843.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  surgery.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  St.  Mary’s  Hospital  and  for  many  years  its  surgeon  and  the 
chief  of  its  staff.  During  the  war  he  was  assigned  as  surgeon  to  the  10th 
Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  later  on  appointed  medical  director. 
From  1867  to  1869  he  was  prosector  of  surgery  at  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  under  G.  C.  Blackman.  For  several  years  he  served  on  the  staff  of  the 
Cincinnati  Hospital.  He  was  at  one  time  health  officer  of  the  city.  He 
died  in  1888.  His  son,  C.  S.  Muscroft,  Jr.,  (born  1853)  graduated  at  the 
Miami  Medical  College  in  1875,  was  police  surgeon  in  1880,  coroner  in  1882 
and  has  served  on  the  staff  of  St.  Mary’s  Hospital. 

Muscroft,  while  not  a voluminous  writer,  gave  to  the  profession  a number 
of  papers  of  great  value  and  at  least  two  that  were  of  historical  import.  One 
of  these  referred  to  bloodless  amputation  at  the  hip-joint  which  he  was  the 
first  surgeon  in  this  country  to  perform.  The  method  of  preventing  hemor- 
rhage consisted  in  the  introduction  of  a needle  and  pressure  by  torsion.  The 

274 


other  paper  (“Exsection  of  Ulna”)  is  quoted  by  Gross  in  his  Centennial  His- 
tory of  Medicine  in  America.  In  this  work  three  Cincinnati  surgeons  are 
mentioned:  Mussey,  Blackman  and  Muscroft.  In  1876  Alnscroft  was  elected 
president  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine.  Muscroft  is  the  author 
of  the  sketch  of  the  “Life  and  Services  of  Geo.  C.  Blackman”  in  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  American  Medical  Association  (1872). 

EDWARD  RIVES  was  the  son  of  Landon  C.  Rives,  Drake’s  associate 
in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.  He  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati in  1833.  His  education  was  obtained  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  his  father’s  office  and  matriculated  at  the 
New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  where  he  was  the  student  of 
Willard  Parker,  his  father’s  erstwhile  colleague  in  the  Cincinnati  College. 


Edward  Rives  Landon  R.  Longworth 

He  graduated  with  high  honors  and  entered  Bellevue  Hospital  as  an  interne, 
subsequently  serving  in  the  Randall  Island  Children’s  Hospital  for  two  years. 
His  first  experience  as  a practicing  physician  was  gained  in  the  mountains 
of  Virginia  where  he  had  formed  a partnership  with  Dr.  L.  C.  Rives,  Jr., 
an  older  brother.  When  the  war  broke  out,  he  entered  the  medical  service  of 
the  army  of  the  Confederacy  as  brigade  surgeon  in  Pickett’s  Division  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  He  served  throughout  the  war  and  left  a 
magnificent  record  behind  as  a medical  officer  of  ability,  skill  and  loyalty  to 
duty.  He  was  considered  the  peer  of  any  surgeon  in  the  Confederate  serv- 
ice. He  filled  the  chair  of  physiology  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  during 
the  session  1869-’70.  In  his  class  work  he  had  the  assistance  of  his  brilliant 
nephew,  Landon  R.  Longworth.  Rives  was  presumably  the  first  man  in  this 
country  who  used  the  magic  lantern  as  a means  of  illustration  before  the  class, 
especially  in  the  demonstration  of  microscopic  slides,  in  the  preparation  of 


275 


which  he  was  a master.  His  splendid  skill  as  a surgeon  was  recognized  in 
1872  when  he  was  appointed  on  the  staff  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  His 
health  failing,  he  moved  to  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1883.  Through- 
out his  whole  life  he  was  the  type  of  an  educated  and  cultured  professional 
gentleman,  such  as  might  be  expected  in  the  progeny  of  the  fine  old  Virginia 
stock  from  which  he  sprang. 

JAMES  T.  WHITTAKER.  The  life  work  and  services  of  this  splendid 
type  of  the  modern  physician  might  befittingly  be  expressed  in  three  words. 
He  was  a gentleman,  he  was  a scholar,  he  was  an  idealist.  Whatever  Dr. 
Whittaker  was  to  his  friends,  to  his  patients,  to  his  students,  to  his  home 
town  or  to  the  cause  of  medicine,  it  was  the  product  of  that  happy  combina- 
tion : the  instinct  of  the  gentleman,  the  latitude  of  the  scholar  and  the  never- 
lagging,  soul-stirring,  magnetic  love  of  the  profession  and  its  ideals.  As  a 
man  he  was  amiability  itself,  as  a physician  he  embodied  the  concreteness  of 
scholarship  in  its  broadest  sense,  as  an  example  to  the  younger  men  he 
was  a constant  inspiration.  The  very  association  with  him  seemed  to  arouse 
ambition  and  enthusiasm.  Up  to  the  very  last  when  he  lay,  weary  and  wan, 
upon  his  bed  of  anguish,  a sufferer  from  incurable  disease,  his  interest  in 
the  profession  he  loved  and  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  whose  behalf 
he  had  worked  so  long  and  faithfully,  never  lagged.  I would  like  to  banish 
from  my  memory  the  sight  of  that  noble  sufferer  in  the  last  days  of  his 
illness.  Yet,  amid  the  signs  of  approaching  dissolution,  when  the  shades  of 
eternal  night  were  creeping  over  his  emaciated  frame,  he  thought  of  the 
science  he  had  loved  so  well  and  the  work  that  was  still  to  be  done. 

His  brow  was  sad ; his  eye  beneath 
Flashed  like  a falchion  from  its  sheath, 

And  like  a silver-clarion  rung 

The  accents  of  that  unknown  tongue : 

Excelsior ! 

James  T.  Whittaker  was  born  in  Cincinnati  March  3,  1843.  His  father 
moved  to  Covington,  Ky.,  when  the  son  was  still  quite  young  and  there  the 
delicate,  frail-looking,  fair-haired  lad  attended  the  public  schools.  He  was  a 
bright  boy,  eager  to  study  and  learn,  and  was  always  at  the  head  of  his  class. 
When  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  he  attended  the  High  School  in  Covington 
and  was  a zealous  student.  To  strengthen  his  frail  body  he  bravely  took 
part  in  the  athletic  games  of  the  stronger  boys.  Among  his  fellow-students 
at  that  time  were  two  boys  who  later  in  life  became  distinguished  members 
of  the  medical  profession  of  Cincinnati,  John  C.  Cleveland  and  A.  G.  Drury. 
In  1859  he  went  to  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  became  a student  at  Miami  University. 

Doctor  Drury,  in  his  ''Memoir  of  Whittaker,”  tells  about  the  patriotism 
of  the  young  student  who  had  hardly  outgrown  his  "roundabouts.”  "In 
August,  1862,  the  Confederate  Army  under  General  Bragg  entered  Ken- 


276 


tiicky  in  an  attempt  to  capture  Louisville,  and  thus  hold  the  State.  After  the 
battle  of  Richmond,  Ky.,  fought  August  30,  1862,  Kirby  Smith’s  corps  of 
Bragg’s  army  was  sent  to  capture  Cincinnati.  The  records  show  this  city  to 
have’  been  comparatively  unprotected.  There  was  indeed  mounting  in  hot 
haste.  Volunteers  from  the  city  and  adjacent  territory  were  mustered  in. 
Old  citizens  well  remember  the  ‘squirrel-hunters.’  The  Forty-first  Regiment 
Kentucky  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  mustered  into  service  September  4,  1862. 
James  T.  Whittaker’s  name  appears  on  the  register  as  a private.  He  was 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment  on  the  4th  of  October  following,  the  emer- 
gency for  which  it  was  called,  having  passed.  During  this  time  he  served 
in  the  trenches  which  encircled  the  city  south  of  Covington,  and  while  on 
duty  received  a flesh  wound  in  the  arm.  After  his  discharge  he  returned-  to 
Miami  University  where  he  graduated  in  1863.” 


Jas.  T.  Whittaker 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  Whittaker  entered  the  service  of  his 
country  as  surgeon’s  steward  on  the  U.  S.  S.  “Reindeer”  and  resigned  April 
15,  1865,  with  the  rank  of  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon.  He  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  (Medical  Department)  in  1866,  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  during  the  session  of  ’66-’67,  graduating  in  medicine  from  the  latter 
institution  in  1867.  For  one  year  he  served  as  Chief  Resident  Physician  in 
the  Commercial  Hospital.  The  following  year  he  spent  in  Europe,  where 
he  attended  the  clinics  and  lectures  of  great  masters  such  as  Virchow, 
Frerichs  and  DuBois  Raymond.  October,  1869,  he  returned  to  Cincinnati 
and  plunged  at  once  into  practice  and  college  work.  After  serving  as  a 
quizz-master  in  practice  and  obstetrics  and  getting  his  first  experience  as  a 
lecturer,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  physiology  in  1870.  The  following 
year  clinical  medicine  was  added  to  his  chair.  When  Roberts  Bartholow  left 
the  city  to  go  to  Philadelphia  in  1879,  Whittaker  became  professor  of  prac- 
tice. He  held  the  chair  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1900. 


During  the  whole  of  his  long  and  honorable  career  as  a member  of  the 
faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  Doctor  Whittaker  was  a frequent  and 
authoritative  contributor  to  the  literature  of  his  profession.  The  monographs 
on  “Asthma,  Acute  and  Chronic  Bronchitis  and  Whooping  Cough”  (Hare’s 
System  of  Practical  Therapeutics,  Vol.  IL),  “Diseases  of  the  Heart  and 
Pericardium”  (Twentieth  Century  Practice,  Vol.  IV.),  “Meningitis”  (Hand- 
book of  the  Medical  Sciences,  Vols.HI.  and  IV.),  “Diseases  of  the  Lungs  and 
Pleura”  (Sajous’s  Annual  of  the  Universal  Medical  Sciences,  1892-’94)  are 
valuable  on  account  of  the  vast  amount  of  material  digested.  In  the  bib- 
liography of  tuberculosis  he  was  posted  as  no  American  physician  of  his 
time.  He  was  the  first  and  most  loyal  American  pupil  and  supporter  of 
Robert  Koch  in  the  latter’s  labors  on  behalf  of  the  etiology,  biology  and 
therapy  of  tuberculosis.  As  the  editor  of  the  “Clinic”  from  1871  to  1876  he 
championed  the  best  interests  of  the  profession  with  all  his  splendid  resources 
of  style  and  scholarship. 

Whittaker  was  admittedly  one  of  the  most  scholarly  American  physicians 
of  his  time.  His  learning  was  vast,  thorough  and  wonderfully  diversified 
even  outside  of  medicine.  Aided  by  a marvelous  memory  and  inspired  by 
enthusiastic  love  of  scientific  truth  and  progress,  he  was  at  once  the  apostle 
of  all  that  was  good  and  noble  in  our  profession,  and,  in  his  whole  makeup,  a 
living  example  of  what  he  championed.  With  three  hundred  and  more  med- 
ical students  sitting  before  him  as  though  they  were  fascinated  by  the  magical 
presence  of  that  unassuming  but  carefully  attired  little  man  with  the  inex- 
haustible vocabulary,  there  was  no  doubt  that  the  hypnotizing  element  was 
not  so  much  what  he  said,  but  how  he  said  it  and  above  all  the  fact  that  he 
said  it.  His  voice  was  not  that  of  an  orator  but  rather  that  of  an  accom- 
plished conversationalist.  His  lectures  were  delightful  because  he  was  a 
delightful  man.  They  were  interesting  because'  he  drew  from  a never-failing 
fount  of  information  with  the  aid  of  an  ever-ready  and  always  pleasant  com- 
mand of  language.  His  lectures  were  entertaining  rather  than  instructive. 
In  the  words  of  Thomas  C.  Minor,  “he  was  persuasive  rather  than  argumenta- 
tive.” His  lectures  were  primarily  a flow  of  soul  and  incidentally  a feast  of 
reason.  The  aesthetic  element,  rather  than  the  philosophic,  predominated. 
He  neither  possessed  the  methodical  precision  of  Bartholow  nor  the  plastic 
realism  of  Graham.  The  elements  of  his  strength  were  the  charm  of  his 
presence  and  the  magic  of  his  mentality.  He  was  not  a producer  of  new 
ideas  in  medicine,  but  knew  how  to  interpret  and  transmit  the  ideas  of  others 
with  the  aid  of  that  wonderful  sum-total  of  forces  that  gave  him  his  own 
peculiar  strength.  In  this  respect  he  resembled  his  distinguished  predecessor, 
John  P.  Harrison.  From  what  has  been  said,  it  would  appear  that  the  failure 
of  Whittaker’s  “Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine”  (1893)  was  not  at  all 
surprising.  A book  that  has  hardly  anything  in  its  method  or  plan  to  give 
it  a well-defined  identity  in  this  age  of  medical  book-making,  is  bound  to  fall 
stillborn  from  the  press.  If  Whittaker  could  have  added  his  own  personality 


278 


to  his  work,  it  would  have  been  a veritable  book  of  magic  in  medicine.  Whit- 
taker, like  his  predecessor  Harrison,  was  a polished,  cultured  and  immensely 
popular  teacher  and  yet  the  books  written  by  the  two  men  on  the  practice  of 
medicine,  caused  hardly  a ripple  in  the  current  of  medical  literature.  Whit- 
taker’s “Lectures  on  Physiology”  (1879)  were  written  in  the  pleasing, 
rambling  style  of  the  litterateur  and  belong  to  the  class  of  books  which  fol- 
lowed in  the  wake  of  Buechner’s  “Kraft  und  Stoff”  which  was  their  classical 
prototype.  Whittaker’s  pleasing  style  and  versatility  appear  to  best  advan- 
tage in  his  novel  “Exiled  for  Lese  Majeste”  (1898)  which  is  well  worth  perusal. 

What,  then,  is  Whittaker’s  claim  to  a high  place  in  the  medical  annals 
of  Cincinnati,  or,  for  that  matter,  of  the  West?  First  of  all,  he  was  a gen- 
tleman as  fine  and  well-bred  as  ever  graced  the  profession  of  medicine. 
Secondly,  he  was  the  possessor  of  a marvelous  scholarship,  amazing  in  its 
immensity.  Thirdly,  he  embodied  a form  of  scientific  altruism  that  is  alto- 
gether too  rare  in  this  material  country  of  ours.  Whittaker  was  a truth- 
seeker  who  loved  the  truth  for  its  own  sake.  He  was  a teacher  who  incul- 
cated the  greatest,  the  best  and  most  enduring  lessons  of  scientific  idealism 
and  of  humanity  by  the  irresistible  force  of  his  example.  He  was  an  enthu- 
siast with  all  the  shortcomings  of  the  sanguine  optimist.  He  yearned  for 
the  pilot  who  would  land  him  safely  in  the  harbor  of  truth  and  knowledge 
where  there  would  be  no  more  mysteries  to  fathom  and  no  more  questions 
to  ask.  Mehr  Licht ! embodied  the  craving  of  his  soul.  His  whole  life  was 
a paraphrase  of  this  greatest  of  all  epigrams.  Thousands  of  American  physi- 
cians owe  their  love  of  medicine  and  humanity  to  that  little  gentleman  whom 
they  never  tired  of  hearing.  The  association  with  him  during  my  own 
interneship  at  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital  is  the  most  cherished  memory  of 
my  professional  life. 

Whittaker  was  a splendid  German  scholar.  A little  occurrence  that  in- 
cidently  illustrates  the  witty  side  of  his  nature,  is  not  unworthy  of  being 
recorded.  Two  Cincinnati  physicians  who  had  a patient  at  the  Good 
Samaritan  Hospital  and  were  waiting  for  Doctor  Whittaker  who  was  to  see 
the  case  in  consultation,  had  an  argument  in  regard  to  the  gender  of  the 
German  word  ''Kind/'  When  Whittaker  entered  the  room,  they  drew  him 
into  the  discussion.  With  an  ironical  twinkle  in  his  eye  he  remarked : “I 
have  seen  some  children  that  were  masculine  and  others  that  were  feminine, 
but  in  regard  to  the  child,  you  gentlemen  are  talking  about,  I would  not  for 
the  world  want  to  offend  either  one  of  you  by  taking  sides.  I prefer  to 
maintain  a neutral  position.” 

Whittaker  and  his  magnetic  personality  will  never  be  forgotten  by  those 
who  had  the  privilege  of  attending  his  lectures  at  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio.  Nature  only  now  and  then  creates  the  like  of  James  T.  Whittaker. 

For  tho’  from  out  our  bourne  of  Time  and  Place 
The  flood  may  bear  me  far, 

I hope  to  see  my  Pilot  face  to  face, 

When  I have  crossed  the  bar. 

279 


CHAUNCEY  D.  PALMER  was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1839, 
began  his  medical  studies  in  the  office  of  John  Davis  and  graduated  from 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1862.  Eor  two  years  he  was  stationed  as 
assistant  surgeon  at  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio.  In  1870  he  succeeded  Th. 
Parvin  in  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children.  In 
1872  when  a rule  was  adopted  that  no  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Cincinnati 
Hospital  should  be  connected  with  any  medical  college.  Palmer  resigned  his 
chair  in  the  college  in  order  to  retain  his  position  in  the  hospital.  When,  a 
few  months  later,  the  rule  was  rescinded,  he  re-assumed  his  chair,  dividing 
it  with  T.  A.  Reamy  who  taught  obstetrics.  Palmer  retained  the  chair  of 
gynecology  until  1906  when  he  resigned.  He  has  been  a liberal  contributor 
to  the  literature  of  his  specialty.  Probably  his  best  paper  is  that  on  the 
^‘Differential  Diagnosis  of  Pregnancy  and  Abdominal  Tumors”  in  the 
American  Text-book  of  Obstetrics.  He  has  enriched  the  armamentarium 
of  obstetrics  and  gynecology  by  an  obstetrical  forceps,  a speculum  and  a 
dilator. 


J.  L.  CceveIvAnd  Chas.  C.  Muscroft 


JOHN  L.  CLEVELAND  was  born  on  a farm  in  Kenton  County,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1841.  In  1854  he  entered  the  district  school  in  Covington,  Ky., 
in  1855  the  high  school  from  which  he  graduated  in  1859.  He  continued 
his  studies  at  Centre  College,  Danville,  Ky.,  at  Miami  University,  Oxford, 
Ohio,  and  took  his  bachelor’s  degree  at  Centre  College  in  1863.  Eor  two 
years  he  studied  theology  in  Princeton.  In  1865  he  began  his  medical  course 
at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  graduated  in  1868,  served  one  year  in  the 
Commercial  Hospital  and  entered  general  practice.  Erom  1870  to  1874  he 
was  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  his  Alma  Mater.  Eor  one  term  (1872-’73) 
he  lectured  on  gynecology.  In  1882  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Academy 
of  Medicine.  He  was  professor  of  practice  in  the  Laura  Memorial  College. 


280 


He  died  in  1906.  Doctor  Cleveland  was  a scholar  of  wide  culture,  a physi- 
cian of  great  skill  and  very  popular  as  a consultant.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  valuable  members  of  the  profession  on  account  of  his  vast  and  thor- 
oughly digested  medical  learning. 

THADDEUS  ASBURY  REAMY  was  born  in  Erederick  County,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1829.  When  he  was  three  years  old,  his  parents  settled  on  a farm 
in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  about  ten  miles  from  Zanesville.  Young 
Reamy  was  raised  like  most  farmer  boys.  In  the  Summer  he  worked  as  a 
farmhand,  in  the  Winter  time  he  attended  a country  school.  When  he 
reached  the  years  of  manhood,  he  taught  school.  In  1853  he  graduated 
from  Starling  Medical  College,  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  located  in  Mount  Ster- 
ling, subsequently  moving  to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  where  he  practiced  for  eight 
years.  In  1858  he  was  elected  professor  of  materia  medica  in  the  Cincin- 
nati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  held  this  chair  for  two  years. 
Erom  1860  to  1863  he  was  a member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Ohio, 
having  been  elected  from  Muskingum  County.  In  1861  he  passed  the  Army 
Medical  Board  and  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  122d  Regiment  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  His  military 'career  came  to  an  end  within  six  months 
when  the  Secretary  of  War  ordered  him  to  report  to  the  Governor  of  Ohio 
who  gave  him  his  discharge  from  the  army  that  he  might  take  his  seat  in 
the  Legislature.  During  the  year  1863  he  served  as  surgeon  in  a military 
camp  near  Newark,  Ohio.  In  the  same  year  he  was  elected  professor  of 
gynecology  in  Starling  Medical  College.  He  resigned  this  chair  in  1871 
upon  his  removal  to  Cincinnati  and  acceptance  of  the  chair  of  obstetrics, 
gynecology  and  pediatrics  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  held  the 
chair  of  obstetrics  until  1887  when  he  resigned  and  became  professor  of 
clinical  gynecology.  He  retired  from  active  work  in  1906.  Some  of  his 
best  clinical  teaching  was  done  in  the  amphitheatre  of  the  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital.  He  was  the  first  to  give  clinical  class  instruction  in  obstetrics  in 
Cincinnati. 

Reamy  in  his  palmy  days  was  the  ideal  teacher.  He  had  a splendid 
physique,  fine  intellectual  and  yet  kindly  countenance,  a sonorous  voice  and 
an  animated  delivery.  He  was  a natural  born  orator  who  knew  how  to 
inspire  and  enthuse  the  large  classes  that  assembled  in  the  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital  in  the  seventies  and  eighties.  The  students  loved  him  because  his 
countenance  beamed  with  earnestness  and  kindly  feeling  on  the  brightest  as 
well  as  the  lowliest  member  of  the  class.  It  carried  conviction  with  it.  He 
impersonated  a type  that  is  rare  because  the  attributes  of  mind  and  heart 
which  constitute  this  type,  are  given  to  but  few.  He  was  earnest,  full  of 
life  and  enthusiasm.  His  manner  was  aglow  with  human  feeling  and  every 
word  he  spoke  rang  true.  His  humor  was  quaint  and  naive,  strangely  at 
variance  and  yet,  somehow  or  other,  delightfully  in  accord  with  his  general 
makeup.  Like  all  his  great  contemporaries  he  was  built  on  large  lines  and 


281 


always  acted  the  part.  He  was  a pillar  of  strength  to  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  and  left  a vacant  chair  when  he  retired  from  the  school  which  he 
had  so  long  adorned.  He  died  March  11,  1909. 

Reamy’s  assistants  at  the  college  were  James  L.  McMechan  (1876-1878) 
and  Giles  S.  Mitchell  (1878-1880).  The  former  (born  1847)  graduated 
from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1868  and  has  been  in  general  practice 
since  that  time.  Mitchell  is  referred  to  elsewhere. 

LANDON  RIVES  LONGWORTH,  whose  untimely  death  deprived  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  of  more  than  merely  a teacher  of  medicine,  was 
through  his  mother  the  grandson  of  Landon  C.  Rives,  that  distinguished 
obstetrician,  who  was  Drake’s  associate  in  the  Cincinnati  College.  He  was 
born  December  25,  1846.  Seldom  was  there  a child  born  that  had  at  the 
time  of  its  birth  so  many  assurances  of  subsequent  happiness,  success  and 
usefulness.  Landon  Longworth  came  from  illustrious  ancestry  and  inher- 
ited an  abundance  of  everything  that  is  worth  while : brains,  artistic  tem- 
perament, character,  lofty  ambition,  and — last,  but  not  least — a comfortable 
allowance  of  the  world’s  goods,  that  useful  element  in  the  exercise  of  the 
art  of  savoir  vivre.  Getting  his  baccalaureate  degree  at  Harvard  in  1867  he 
looked  around  to  see  what  avenue  through  life  he  wished  to  choose.  Not 
like  Hercules,  who  had  but  two  paths  to  choose  from,  Landon  Longworth 
had  every  path  opened  unto  him  that  human  existence  could  provide  and 
many  more  which  human  inclination  might  choose  to  blaze.  In  1868  he  went 
to  Europe  to  study  art  under  Hans  Gude,  and  under  this  master’s  inspiring 
direction  became  a painter  of  no  mean  accomplishment.  With  his  heart 
afire  he  returned  to  his  native  land  where  the  dance  around  the  golden  calf 
allows  people  no  time  or  inclination  to  worship  at  the  shrine  of  the  Muses. 
Longworth  felt  the  chilling  solitude  of  an  artistic  temperament  in  this  coun- 
try and  decided  to  study  medicine.  Medicine  is  universal  in  its  psychic  adapt- 
ability. Depending  on  the  individual  interpretation  and  impersonation,  it  is 
capable  of  raising  the  soul  to  the  heights  of  Olympus  or  lowering  the  heart  to 
the  level  of  the  things  that  are  earthy.  It  may  be  a science,  a handicraft,  a mere 
business,  depending  on  the  man  who  is  a Galen,  a Vesalius  or  a — Shylock. 
When  Landon  Longworth  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  in  1870,  he  aimed 
for  the  highest,  because  he  was  a high-born  child  of  genius.  His  first  pre- 
ceptor was  Dr.  Edward  Rives,  his  uncle,  who  had  been  a teacher  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  After  a preliminary  course  in  the  Ohio  College, 
Longworth  went  to  New  York  and  became  a student  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons.  He  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1873 
and  continued  his  studies  in  Austria  and  Germany,  paying  special  attention 
to  microscopy.  In  1874  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  became  demonstrator 
and  eventually  professor  of  anatomy  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and 
pathologist  to  the  Good  Samaritan  and  Cincinnati  Hospitals.  He  was  an 
enthusiastic  microscopist,  devoted  much  time  and  labor  to  photography. 


282 


invented  a new  electric  arc-light  and  incidentally  was  a musician  that  ranked 
with  the  best.  This  wonderfully  gifted  and  versatile  man  was  laid  low  by 
the  hand  of  death  on  January  14,  1879,  before  his  career  had  fairly  begun. 
For  the  college  his  death  was  a calamity.  If  he  had  lived,  the  mantle  of  the 
intellectual  and  professional  leadership  would  have  eventually  fallen  upon 
him  and  the  traditions  of  the  old  Ohio  College  would  have  been  preserved 
in  all  their  glory  by  the  clean  hands,  the  superior  mind,  the  scholarship  and 
character  of  Landon  R.  Longworth. 

H.  A.  CLARK  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  England,  in  1844.  He  was 
brought  to  this  country  when  he  was  six  years  old.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in 
the  army.  After  a short  service  he  received  his  honorable  discharge  on 
account  of  ill  health.  He  attended  Starling  Medical  College,  Columbus, 


H.  A.  CivARK  NEUSON  S a veer 


Ohio,  and  graduated  in  1869.  He  was  appointed  physician  to  the  Ohio 
Penitentiary  but  resigned  when  he  was  offered  the  demonstratorship  of 
chemistry  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  (1873).  The  following  year  he 
became  professor  of  chemistry.  He  resigned  in  1877  and  accepted  the  chair 
of  anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  There  he  had 
some  difficulty  and  being  a man  of  quick  impulses,  he  resigned  then  and 
there  and  went  to  Eureka,  Kansas,  to  work  as  a clerk  in  a drug  store.  After 
a year  or  two  he  started  a newspaper  and  lost  everything  he  had.  He  moved 
to  Severy,  a small  town  near  Eureka,  and  began  to  practice  medicine.  Here 
he  died  in  1882.  He  was  a wonderfully  gifted  man,  but  ill-balanced  and  of  a 
sour,  pessimistic  temperament. 

JONATHAN  L.  CILLEY,  born  1838,  graduated  from  the  Miami  Med- 
ical College  in  1866  and  served  one  year  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  as  an 
interne.  His  preliminary  education  was  obtained  at  Harvard  University 

283 


where  he  received  his  baccalaureate  degree  .in  1853.  He  made  an  excellent 
record  as  a medical  officer  during*  the  Civil  War.  In  1871  he  assumed  the 
post  of  demonstrator  of  anatdmy  in  the  Miami  Medical  College,  and  held 
it  for  seven  years.  In  1879  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in 
the  Medical  College  of  diio,  receiving  the  ad  cundem  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine  from  the  latter  institution  in  1880.  In  1889  he  was  made  adjunct 
professor  of  anatomy.  He  resigned  in  1899  and  moved  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died  in  1903.  From  1875  to  1880  he  taught  physiology  in  the 
Ohio  College  of  Dental  Surgery.  He  held  the  chair  of  anatomy  in  the 
Woman’s  Medical  College  and  lectured  on  plastic  anatomy  in  the  Cincinnati 
Art  School.  Cilley  was  a good  anatomist  and  quizz-master,  and  was  very 
popular  with  the  students. 


FREDERICK  EORCHHEIMER  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1853.  He 
graduated  from  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  the 
age  of  twenty  and  went  abroad  where  he  devoted  special  attention  and  study 
to  pediatrics.  In  1876  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  morbid  anatomy 
and  of  histology  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1877  he  succeeded 
H.  A.  Clark  in  the  chair  of  chemistry.  In  1879  he  became  professor  of 
physiology  and  clinical  lecturer  on  diseases  of  children.  In  1900  he  suc- 
ceeded Jas.  T.  Whittaker  in  the  chair  of  practice.  Upon  the  resignation  of 
P.  S.  Conner  he  became  dean  of  the  faculty.  In  1907  appeared  his  text-book 
of  practice  (“Prophylaxis  and  Treatment’!).  He  has  contributed  liberally 
to  the  literature  of  pediatrics.  His  position  as  an  able  exponent  of  the 
latter  subject  is  generally  recognized.  Not  the  least  of  his  accomplishments 
is  his  mastery  of  the  violin. 


JAMES  G.  HYNDMAN  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1853.  He  attended 
Woodward  High  School  and  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  precep- 
torship  of  James  T.  Whittaker.  He  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  in  1874,  having  served  on  the  house  staff  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital 
for  two  years  previous  to  his  graduation.  He  entered  private  practice  and 
incidentally  translated  papers  from  the  German  and  Erench  for  the  “Clinic,” 
a weekly  publication  issued  in  the  interests  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 
Eventually  he  became  J.  T.  Whittaker’s  associate  in  editing  the  “Clinic.” 
In  1876  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  the  chair  of  practice  (Bartholow),  in 

1879  lecturer  on  medical  chemistry  and  clinical  lecturer  on  laryngology,  in 

1880  professor  of  medical  chemistry.  Eor  many  years  he  was  secretary  of 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  in  this  way  became  personally  known  to 
hundreds  of  physicians  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  His  unfaltering  loyalty 
to  the  ideals  of  the  old  Ohio  will  be  remembered  for  many  years  to  come. 
He  was  one  of  the  translators  of  Ziemssen’s  Encyclopedia  of  Medicine.  He 
died  in  1904. 


284 


JOSEPH  RANSOHOFF  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1853.  He  graduated 
from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1874,  served  as  an  interne  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati Hospital,  went  abroad  for  a number  of  years,  receiving  a Fellow- 
ship of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  of  London,  in  1877.  In  1879  he 
became  the  successor  of  Landon  Longworth,  as  professor  of  descriptive 
anatomy,  succeeding  the  distinguished  P.  S.  Conner  in  the  chair  of  surgery 
in  1902.  The  following  year  he  became  a trustee  of  the  University  of  Cin- 
cinnati, thus  assuming  a position  of  control  with  reference  to  the  institution 
of  whose  teaching  staff  he  was  a member,  an  arrangement  which  Daniel 
Drake,  eighty  years  previously,  had  designated  as  being  '411-advised  and  a 
fruitful  source  of  abuse.”  Ransohoff’s  term  expired  in  1907.  Ransohoff 
was  an  efficient  teacher  of  descriptive  anatomy  and  did  good  work  as  in- 
cumbent of  that  chair  and  as  clinical  lecturer  on  dermatology. 

T.  LOUIS  BROWN  was  an  Englishman  by  birth.  He  was  born  in 
1835,  came  to  this  country  at  an  early  age  and  spent  many  years  at  the 
hardest  kind  of  manual  work.  In  spite  of  all  the  difficulties  which  poverty 
put  in  his  way,  he  acquired  an  education  by  denying  himself  every  kind  of 
pleasure  and  by  burning  the  midnight  oil.  He  graduated  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  in  1872  and  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy  from  1872  to 
1878.  He  died  in  1900.  Brown  was  an  odd  genius,  talented,  versatile  and 
thoroughly  original.  He  could  design  and  build  a house  and  do  any  kind 
of  mechanical  work.  He  was  a practical  pharmacist,  a naturalist,  an  astron- 
omer, an  expert  microscopist,  a musician,  an  actor,  and,  withal,  the  most 
delightful  and  lovable  of  men. 

FREDERICK  KEBLER  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1855  and  graduated 
from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1876.  He  was  appointed  instructor  in 
histology  in  1879.  Four  years  later  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  microscopic 
laboratories,  and,  in  addition  to  his  work  therein,  lectured  on  hygiene.  In 
1887  he  became  adjunct’ professor  of  practice.  He  resigned  in  1895  and 
died  two  years  later,  wrecked  in  body  and  mind.  In  spite  of  his  uneventful 
career,  pursuing  the  noiseless  tenor  of  his  way  as  a zealous  teacher  and 
devoted  friend  of  the  students,  the  name  of  Frederick  Kebler  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  had  the  privilege  of  knowing  this  excellent  man 
who  by  nature  was  fitted  for  everything  that  was  great  and  good.  Within 
the  memory  of  living  man  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  never  had  a better 
teacher  than  was  Frederick,  or,  as  his  friends  called  him,  Fritz  Kebler.  His 
very  presence  radiated  warmth  and  inspiration.  He  came  from  an  ill-starred 
family  and  he  himself  drifted  about  on  the  ocean  of  life  like  a rudderless 
ship.  This  was  the  cruel  irony  of  Fate.  That  royal  homage,  which  is 
contained  in  the  word  “gentleman,”  was  never  more  befittingly  bestowed 
than  upon  Kebler,  and  there  was  no  one  who  ever  disputed  the  fitness  of 
the  appellation  in  his  case.  During  his  connection  with  the  Medical  Col- 


285 


C.  D.  PaIvMER 


Walter  S.  Christopher 


Samuel  Nickles 


F.  Keeler 


Jas.  G.  Hvndman 


286 


Jas’.  M.  French 


lege  of  Ohio  Kebler’s  personality  and  influence  over  the  student  body  were 
among  the  most  valuable  assets  of  the  school.  He  was 

A combination  and  a form,  indeed, 

Where  every  god  did  seem  to  set  his  seal 

To  give  the  world  assurance  of  a man  ! 

In  the  history  of  medical  education  in  the  Middle  West  Kebler’s  name 
should  be  linked  with  those  of  Jedediah  Cobb,  John  Locke,  James  Graham 
and  others,  most  of  whom  left  no  written  legacy  of  their  scholarship,  and 
made  few,  if  any,  contributions  to  science,  but  helped  to  form  the  character 
of  the  profession  by  their  teaching  and  by  their  example. 

WALTER  S.  CHRISTOPHER  was  born  in  Newport,  Ky.,  in  1859.  He 
attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  graduated  in  1883.  In  1885  he 
was  appointed  demonstrator  of  chemistry  and  assistant  clinician  in  the 

pediatric  department.  These  subordinate  positions  were  out  of  all  propor- 
tion to  his  capacity  and  scientific  fitness.  Dissatisfied  with  his  surroundings, 
he  left  Cincinnati  in  1891  to  assume  the  chair  of  practice  in  the  University 
of  Michigan.  The  prospects  of  larger  clinical  possibilities  prompted  him  in 
1893  to  accept  the  chair  of  pediatrics  in  the  Chicago  Polyclinic  and  later  on, 
in  addition  thereto,  a similar  position  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons.  Christopher  in  a short  time  rose  to  the  highest  rank  as  a 

specialist  in  children’s  diseases  and  as  a teacher  of  pediatrics.  He  was  a 

clinician  of  extraordinary  attainments,  a thoroughly  scientific  thinker,  a clear 
and  systematic  teacher  and  an  original  investigator.  Mayor  Carter  Harri- 
son, Jr.,  recognizing  Christopher’s  extraordinay  fitness,  appointed  him  a 

member  of  the  board  of  education.  In  his  new  position  Christopher’s  work 
was  of  epoch-making  importance.  He  created  the  Child-study  Department 
in  the  educational  management  of  Chicago’s  schools  and  did  work  of  en- 
during value  in  establishing  this  new  department  on  a scientific  basis.  The 
reports  of  this  department  published  by  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education, 
beaf  eloquent  testimony  to  Christopher’s  originality  and  thoroughness.  His 
studies  of  nutrition  and  disturbances  of  metabolism  in  childhood  are  too 
well  known  and  appreciated  to  require  any  comment.  Christopher  was  an 
ideal  teacher,  personally  a nobleman  by  nature,  and,  owing  to  the  splendid 
sum-total  of  attributes  of  mind  and  character  embodied  in  him,  immensely 
popular  in  the  profession.  He  died  in  1905.  Being  the  incomparably  able 
exponent  of  a new  and  important  departure  in  educational  work,  his  untimely 
death  was  in  the  nature  of  a national  loss. 

JAMES  MAGOEEIN  ERENCH  was  born  in  Iberia,  Morrow  County, 
Ohio,  in  1858.  His  father  and  grandfather  were  Presbyterian  ministers. 
When  James  was  twelve  years  old,  he  came  to  Cincinnati  with  his  parents. 
In  1878  he  received  his  baccalaureate  degree  in  the  arts  from  Westminster 


287 


College,  Pennsylvania,  and  became  a student  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 
He  graduated  in  1880,  and,  having  served  as  a resident  physician  in  the  Good 
Samaritan  Hospital  for  one  year,  began  to  practice  in  Cincinnati.  In  1887  he 
was  appointed  demonstrator  of  pathology  and  lecturer  on  morbid  anatomy. 
In  1895  he  was  made  a lecturer  on  medicine.  He  resigned  in  1903  and  moved 
to  San  Diego,  Cal.,  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  had  been  the  editor  of  the 
Ohio  IMedical  Journal  (Journal  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio)  and  a con- 
tributor to  the  Reference  Handbook  of  the  Medical  Sciences.  His  greatest 
service  to  the  cause  of  medicine  was  his  book  on  '‘Practice,”  which  is  de- 
servedly popular  with  the  profession,  and  is,  without  a doubt,  the  most 
valuable  contribution  which  has  been  made  by  a Cincinnati  author  to  medical 
science  since  the  days  of  Roberts  Bartholow.  French  was  in  frail  health 
all  his  life  and  undoubtedly  shortened  his  days  by  his  close  attention  to 
study  and  to  his  practice.  He  was  of  an  austere,  cheerless  temperament,  an 
indefatigable  student  and  a conscientious  practitioner.  As  a teacher  he  was 
dry  and  uninteresting.  At  heart  he  was  a good,  well-meaning  man  who  de- 
served more  sunshine  than  life  had  in  store  for  him.  He  had  a wealth  of 
well-digested  medical  knowledge  which  was  stored  in  a mind,  naturally 
systematic  and  logical.  Whatever  he  wrote,  was  well-defined,  clear-cut  and 
unincumbered  with  non-essentials.  He  possessed  the  gift  of  analysis  in  a 
high  degree  and  had  a splendid  sense  of  proportion  in  gauging  the  perspective 
of  a subject  seen  from  the  reader’s  point  of  view.  This  is  what  made  his 
text-book  of  practice  so  popular  with  the  profession.  French  died  of  tuber- 
culosis in  San  Diego,  Cal.,  in  1907. 


288 


CHAPTER  XIIT. 


THE  CINCINNATI  COLLEGE  OE  MEDICINE 
AND  SURGERY. 

(Baker’s  College.) 

ON  March  7,  1851,  a charter  which  bore  the  signature  of  John  F.  Morse, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  Charles  C.  Converse, 
Speaker  of  the  Senate,  was  issued  by  the  Legislature  of  Ohio,  by 
virtue  of  which  charter  A.  H.  Baker,  C.  S.  Kauffman,  Peter  Outcalt,  Jacob 
Graff,  Jos.  K.  Smith,  Jos.  Draper,  Wm.  Cameron,  Win.  B.  Dodds,  Cornelius 
Moore,  Martin  Tilbert,  Stanley  Matthews,  O.  M.  Spencer  and  Robert  Moore 
were  constituted  a “body  corporate  and  politic  to  be  known  by  the  name  and 
style  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  and  Surgical  College”  and  duly  authorized 
to  confer  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Strangely  enough,  the  insti- 
tution for  which  the  charter  was  obtained  never  went  into  operation,  at 
least  its  legal  name,  the  “Cincinnati  Medical  and  Surgical  College,”  was 
never  applied  to  the  institution  which  derived  its  legal  existence  and  status 
from  the  aforesaid  charter.  For  fully  forty  years  diplomas  were  issued  by 
the  “Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery”  which  had  no  legal  exist- 
ence because  no  charter  had  ever  been  granted  to  an  institution  of  that  name. 
After  four  decades  the  mistake  was  discovered  by  an  accident  and  rectified. 

The  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  was  the  creation  of  one 
man  who,  like  Drake,  suffered  from  that  delusion  which  makes  its  victim 
crave  a chair  in  a medical  college,  or,  in  its  severer  form,  causes  the  unfor- 
tunate sufferer  to  found  a medical  school  as  a proper  stage-setting  for  his 
(real  or  imagined)  genius.  When  Drake  retrospectively  and  not  without 
some  humor  uttered  these  words  of  self-criticism,  he  had  reached  the  even- 
tide of  life.  He  looked  back  and  smiled  at  the  follies  and  errors  of  the  days 
gone  by.  That  mighty  delusion  was  at  that  time  to  him  “ein  uberwundener 
Standpunkt,”  as  the  Germans  would  say.  To  liken  Alvah  H.  Baker,  the 
founder  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  to  the  great 
founder  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  of  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  Cincinnati  College,  is  justified  by  the  intention  to  make  the  creation  of 
Baker’s  ambition  appear  in  the  most  charitable  light.  In  no  other  sense 
would  it  be  possible  to'  find  even  the  suggestion  of  an  analogy  between  these 
two  men  and  their  “delusions.” 

Baker  was  ambitious  and  energetic.  He  was  convinced  that  the  glory 
and  revenue  derived  from  a medical  school  would  amply  compensate  for 
labor  and  time  spent.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  be  the  school, 

289 


especially  as  far  as  the  glory  and  the  revenue  were  concerned.  He  started 
out  by  renting  a building  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Longworth  Street  and 
Western  Row  (Central  Avenue),  which  he  fitted  up  as  a medical  college 
with  a hospital  attachment.  He  assumed  the  deanship  and  the  chair  of  sur- 
gery. Benj.  S.  Lawson,  Registrar,  was  professor  of  practice.  R.  A.  Spencer 
was  the  anatomist,  Charles  W.  Wright  the  chemist.  The  remaining  profes- 
sors were  James  Graham  (materia  medica),  J.  Sidney  Skinner  (pathology), 
Edward  Mead  (obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  children).  Charles  W. 
Wright  (not  related  to  M.  B.  Wright)  had  been  connected  with  the  “Med- 
ical Institute.”  James  Graham,  subsequently  a giant  among  medical  teachers, 
was  a young  beginner,  “to  fortune  -and  to  fame  unknown.”  Baker,  in  “dis- 
covering” Graham,  showed  what  a splendid  judge  of  men  he  was.  Edward 
Mead  was  probably  the  best  educated  man  in  the  first  faculty  of  Baker’s 
school. 


Cincinnati  ConnEGE  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  (1851-1871) 

The  fees  were  fixed  at  $10  for  each  professor,  $5  for  matriculation,  $10 
demonstrator’s  ticket,  $25  graduation  fee  and  $5  hospital  ticket.  The  hos- 
pital referred  to  in  the  last  item  is  the  Commercial  Hospital.  Baker  profited 
by  Drake’s  fight  (1835  to  1839).  After  a four  years’  struggle  Drake  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  Legislature  in  1839  to  open  the  portals  of  the  Commer- 
cial Hospital  to  the  students  of  any  regular  school  of  medicine.  Baker  took  a 
decided  stand,  basing  his  claim  on  the  legislative  act  of  1839  and  obtained 
the  hospital  privilege  for  his  students  without  any  struggle. 

The  personnel  of  the  faculty  was  constantly  changing  under  Baker’s  re- 
gime. Some  of  the  early  professors  remained  but  one  term,  several  of  them 
not  even  a full  term.  Baker  was  a hard  taskmaster.  He  expected  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  faculty  to  work  for  glory  while  he  pocketed  the  proceeds.  In 
addition  to  this  he  was  an  arbitrary  manager  whose  will  was  supposed  to 

290 


be  supreme  law  for  every  individual  in  the  school.  These  were  the  factors 
which  militated  against  the  school  during  Baker’s  lifetime.  It  was  only  after 
his  death  that  the  oppobrinm  which  had  clung  to  the  school  was  removed, 
largely  through  the  efforts  of  the  many  excellent  men  who  filled  the  chairs, 
especially  in  the  seventies  and  later.  During  the  second  session  (1852-’53) 
Elijah  Slack,  the  first  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
(1819-1830),  filled  the  chair  of  chemistry.  Another  man  of  prominence  was 
Pliny  M.  Criime,  of  Eaton,  Ohio,  who  taught  obstetrics  for  a few  sessions. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Ohio  State  Society.  E.  S.  Wayne  and 
Geo.  W.  Gordon  were  strong  men,  the  former  a pharmacologist  and  chemist 
of  national  reputation,  the  latter  closely  identified  with  the  early  history  of 
the  American  Medical  Association.  W.  W.  Dawson  and  Thad.  A.  Reamy 
were  among  the  early  professors.  In  the  sixties  P.  S.  Conner  lectured  on 
surgery  for  one  term.  The  first  decade  in  the  life  of  Baker’s  school  was  an 
interrupted  chain  of  internal  and  external  troubles,  largely  attributable  to  the 
selfish  and  domineering  manner  of  the  founder  of  the  school.  Baker  wanted 
to  be  surgeon  to  the  Commercial  Hospital.  When  he  failed  in  his  attempt  < 
to  get  the  appointment,  he  refused  to  let  his  students  purchase  hospital  tickets 
and  began  to  harrass  the  hospital  management  in  every  imaginable  manner. 
In  order  to  break  up  the  other  two  schools  (Ohio  and  Miami)  Baker  made  a 
free  school  out  of  his  institution.  A long  and  bitter  controversy  and  endless 
confusion  were  the  result  of  Baker’s  attitude.  The  merger  of  the  Ohio  and 
Miami  Colleges  (1857)  was  indirectly  brought  about  by  Baker.  His  school 
was  probably  best  characterized  by  Robert  R.  Mcllvaine,  the  father  of  the 
Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine,  who  taught  physiology  in  Baker’s  school 
for  a short  time.  His  characterization  refers  to  the  school  while  under 
Baker’s  management : 

“The  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  was  conceived  in  sin  and  born 
in  iniquity.  The  best  that  can  be  said  of  it  is  that  it  is  a normal  school  for  medical 
teachers.  No  one  goes  there  to  teach  but  those  who  are  ambitious  to  learn  how  to 
teach  in  a better  school.” 

In  1854  Baker’s  college  building  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  fiendish 
crimes  in  the  history  of  the  West.  The  story  of  the  Arrison  Infernal  Ma- 
chine is  thus  related  in  Greve’s  History  of  Cincinnati: 

“One  day  in  June,  1854,  a fine-looking  stranger  called  upon  Dr.  A.  H.  Baker  to 
make  inquiries  as  to  a medical  student  named  Isaac  H.  x\llison.  After  stating  that  he 
expected  to  see  him  in  less  than  a week,  he  took  his  departure.  Baker  spoke  of  the 
matter  to  Allison,  who  said  that  he  supposed  the  man  was  a gambler  who,  because  of  a 
previous  difficulty,  maintained  a grudge  against  him.  Nothing  more  was  seen  of  the 
man  and  the  occurrence  passed  from  the  minds  of  both  Baker  and  Allison.  On  June 
26,  about  nine  o’clock  in  the  evening,  a man  answering  the  description  of  the  stranger 
stopped  a couple  of  boys  on  Longworth  Street  and  employed  them  to  carry  a box  to 
Mr.  Allison,  who  was  the  steward  of  the  Marine  Hospital  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Western  Row  and  Longworth  Street.  He  cautioned  them  not  to  shake  the  box  for 
fear  of  damaging  the  contents.  The  boys  took  the  box  and  left  it  at  a haberdasher’s 


291 


named  Stockton,  whose  store  was  in  the  building  of  the  Marine  Hospital.  The  box 
was  wrapped  in  brown  paper  and  tied  with  a cord.  Attached  to  it  was  a card,  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Allison,  Marine  Hospital,  corner  of  Western  Row  and  Longworth  Street, 
Cincinnati.  The  clerk  who  received  the  box  carried  it  to  Dr.  John  W,  Baker,  who 
was  seated  at  the  door  of  his  office  in  the  same  building,  with  the  request  to  hand  it 
to  Mr.  Allison.  Doctor  Baker  was  busy  for  the  moment  and  laid  the  box  on  the 
table.  Doctor  Cummins  casually  picked  up  the  box  and  shook  it.  It  was  about  a 
foot  long,  six  inches  wide  and  weighed  from  10  to  15  pounds.  As  he  shook  the  bc^, 
he  heard  a hard  substance  rattling  inside.  A moment  later  Doctor  Baker  started  with 
the  box  upstairs.  At  the  head  of  the  stairs  he  met  Allison’s  wife,  who  was  the  matron 
of  the  hospital,  and  handed  the  box  to  her.  She  took  it  to  her  room  and  gave  it  to 
her  husband.  Allison  sat  down  upon  a chair  and  after  untying  the  strings  and  taking 
off  the  paper  commenced  pulling  off  the  sliding  top  of  the  box  and  immediately  a ter- 
rific explosion  took  place.  The  two  Drs.  Baker,  hearing  the  report,  at  first  supposed 
that  it  was  thunder.  They  then  heard  the  ceiling  falling  and  the  walls  tremble  and 
the  screams  from  the  Allisons’  room.  They  immediately  rushed  in  and  found  the  room 
filled  with  dust  of  the  falling  plaster  and  powder  smoke.  The  bedclothes  were  on  fire 
and  Mrs.  Allison  ablaze.  Doctor  Baker  tore  the  clothes  from  her  body  and  soon 
succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  fire.  Allison  was  then  heard  calling  for  help.  The 
room  was  absolutely  dark  and  a light  was  hastily  procured.  Then  Allison  was  seen 
crawling  on  his  hands  and  knees  towards  the  window.  His  clothes  were  burning  and 
the  whole  front  of  his  body  torn  out  so  that  his  entrails  protruded  from  his  abdomen. 
He  was  picked  up  and  carried  into  an  adjoining  room  and  Mrs.  Allison,  who  was  seen 
to  be  badly  injured,  was  carried  to  a room  in  the  first  story.  It  was  learned  at  once 
that  Allison  could  not  live.  To  inquirers  he  stated  that  it  was  evident  that  the  box 
contained  a torpedo  and  that  he  suspected  a man  named  Arrison  of  the  crime.  There 
were  found  in  his  legs  22  balls,  slug  shots  and  pieces  of  iron.  His  abdomen,  hands  and 
face  were  dreadfully  burned  and  both  his  eyes  burned  out.  After  suffering  intense 
pain  for  a little  over  an  hour,  he  died  in  great  agony  at  half  past  twelve.  Mrs.  Allison 
was  so  wounded  in  one  arm  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  amputate  it.  Her  other 
hand,  as  well  as  her  shoulders,  face  and  breast,  were  badly  burned.  Both  Allison  and 
his  wife  were  young  and  attractive  people  of  good  family  and  were  possessed  of  many 
friends.  Mrs.  Allison  died  the  following  day,  after  suffering  great  agony.  The  noise 
of  the  explosion  was  so  great  as  to  be  heard  all  over  that  part  of  the  city.  A special 
police  force  was  assigned  to  search  for  the  murderer  and  a reward  was  oflered  for  his 
apprehension.  It  developed  at  once  that  the  box  had  been  made  about  four  days  before 
by  McCullough  & Hively  on  Fifth  Street.  After  it  was  finished,  the  person  who  had 
ordered  it  brought  it  back  to  have  it  made  larger.  A description  of  this  person  cor- 
responded with  that  of  the  man  who  gave  the  box  to  the  boys  and  also  to  that  of  the 
purchaser  of  some  fulminating  powder  at  Saulsbury’s  drug  store.  This  person  named 
Arrison  was  a fellow-student  of  Allison  in  the  college.  During  the  temporary  absence 
of  Doctor  Baker,  he  had  been  appointed  assistant  surgeon  in  the  hospital  at  which  time 
he  had  a slight  controversy  with  the  steward,  Mr.  Allison.  From  this  came  a challenge 
which,  however,  was  not  accepted.  A little  later  in  a dispute  about  a book,  the  lie 
was  given  and  as  a result  Allison  knocked  Arrison  down.  The  latter  had  given  out 
on  the  Saturday  evening  previous  that  he  was  about  to  go  to  his  home  in  Iowa,  but 
was  seen  in  the  city  on  the  following  Monday.  Apparently  the  murderer  had  little 
scruple  about  human  life,  for  he  told  the  boys  to  whom  he  gave  the  box  he  carried,  to 
stay  and  see  the  prettiest  thing  they  had  ever  seen  in  their  lives.  The  object  of  this 
was,  of  course,  to  prevent  their  appearing  against  him.  Arrison  had  disappeared,  how- 
ever, and  could  not  be  found.  An  accident  disclosed  his  whereabouts.  He  wrote  to  a 
friend  in  the  city  asking  if  the  excitement  had  subsided  and  if  the  police  were  still 
on  his  track.  This  letter  was  by  accident  delivered  to  a person  other  than  the  one 


292 


to  whom  it  was  addressed,  who  turned  it  over  to  Marshall  Rufifin.  Ruffin  and  another 
officer  at  once  started  for  Iowa  where  they  found  Arrison,  At  first  he  denied  his 
identity  and  made  an  effort  to  get  a revolver,  but  he  was  handcuffed  and  brought  to 
Cincinnati  for  trial.  He  was  tried  for  the  murder  of  Allison  and  for  some  strange 
reason  escaped  the  death  penalty,  being  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  ten  years. 
At  the  end  of  his  term  he  had  the  impudence  to  return  to  the  city.  A movement  was 
started  to  try  him  for  the  murder  of  Mrs.  Allison,  and  he  prudently  left  the  city  and 
returned  to  Iowa.” 

Baker’s  career  as  the  head  of  a medical  college  was  beset  with  endless  diffi- 
culties and  hardships.  The  dearth  of  clinical  material  was  a serious  draw- 
back. The  clinical  lectures  at  the  Commercial  Hospital  made  his  school 
depend  on  outside  talent  and  constantly  reminded  his  students  of  the  short- 


ClNCINNATl  ConnEGK  OF  MEDICINE  AND  SURGERY  (1872-1893) 


comings  of  their  Alma  Mater.  Baker  reduced  the  fees  until,  in  1857,  in 
order  to  kill  his  competitors,  he  made  a free  school  out  of  his  institution.  In 
1852  he  decided  to  give  two  complete  courses  in  one  year,  enabling  any  stu- 
dent to  get  his  degree  in  twelve  months.  This  plan  had  been  unsuccessfully 
tried  by  Transylvania  University.  Baker  offered  all  kinds  of  inducements 
in  his  mad  rivalry  to  attract  students.  That  under  these  conditions  irregu- 
larities occurred,  is  hardly  surprising.  In  1855  he  granted  diplomas  to 
twenty-six  applicants.  Of  these  thirteen  were  honorary,  i.  c.,  they  were  con- 

293 


ferred  on  persons  who  had  not  attended  lectures.  These  were  the  circum- 
stances that  engendered  a condition  of  instability  in  the  faculty.  Good, 
conscientious  men  refused  to  sanction  methods  of  this  kind.  Strong  men 
would  not  put  up  with  Baker’s  domineering  way.  Thus  the  personnel  of  the 
faculty  was  constantly  changing.  The  character  of  the  school  improved 
after  1865  and — barring  a few  setbacks  that  were  occasioned  by  the  period- 
ical wrangles  which  are  or  seem  to  be  unavoidable  in  the  normal  life  of  a 
medical  school  in  this  country — continued  to  improve  steadily.  The  school 
reached  its  climax  of  quality  probably  in  1890,  although  the  general  makeup 
of  the  faculty  was  creditable  up  to  the  time  of  the  dissolution  of  the  college 
in  1901. 

In  1872  the  school  moved  into  a building  which  for  many  years  had  been 
used  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity  for  school  purposes.  It  was  located  at  No.  164 
George  Street,  and  was  well  adapted  to  the  wants  of  a medical  college.  Here 
the  school  enjoyed  considerable  prosperity.  In  1893  the  college  was  moved  to 
\dne  Street,  between  Liberty  and  Green  Streets.  The  increasing  difficulty  of 
obtaining  eligible  students  in  sufficient  number  to  meet  the  expense  involved 
in  conducting  a thoroughly  modern  medical  school  and  competing  successfully 
with  numerous  rival  schools  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  as  it  has  of  many  others.  In  the  half  century 
of  its  existence  it  gave  to  the  profession  many  excellent  practitioners,  and,  in 
its  didactic  staff,  evolved  some  truly  great  teachers.  A turning  point  in  the 
history  of  this  school  was  the  re-organization  of  the  faculty  in  1882.  This 
re-construction  followed  an  embroglio  in  which  most  of  the  trustees  and  pro- 
fessors were  involved.  It  recalled  the  early  days  in  the  life  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  when  upheavals  were  the  order  of  the  day.  R.  C.  Stockton 
Reed,  Chas.  A.  L.  Reed  and  J.  A.  Thacker  brought  charges  of  incompetency 
and  total  unfitness  against  the  trustees  and  charges  of  illiteracy,  indecency 
and  deceitfulness  against  some  of  the  professors.  The  result  was  a good- 
sized  row  in  which  practically  everybody  was  involved.  The  atmosphere  was 
cleared  and  the  school  continued  under  improved  conditions. 

The  fees  charged  in  1868  were  $20  for  one  course  of  lectures.  In  1873 
the  lecture  fee  was  increased  to  $25.  During  the  last  fifteen  years  of  the 
life  of  the  school  the  average  fee  was  $40  for  one  session,  not  including 
charges  for  matriculation,  graduation,  etc. 

The  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  established  medical  co- 
education for  women  in  Cincinnati.  It  admitted  female  students  in  1883  and 
in  the  three  years  following  conferred  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  on 
seven  women.  In  1886  a separate  department  for  women  was  created  under 
the  name  of  ‘‘The  Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Cincinnati,”  and  continued 
as  such  as  a part  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  until 
1890.  In  the  latter  year  a charter  was  obtained  for  the  Woman’s  College 
and  the  latter  established  as  an  independent  institution.  The  first  course  of 
lectures  (1890-’91)  was  delivered  in  the  Lancet  Building.  Later  on  a build- 


294 


ing  was  leased  on  West  Eighth  Street  (old  number  262).  Notwithstanding 
the  increasing  patronage  and  the  very  creditable  work  done  by  the  faculty, 
it  was  decided  to  abandon  the  school  in  1895  in  favor  of  the  Laura  Memorial 
College,  the  latter  absorbing  the  Woman’s  College.  The  Woman’s  College 
during  its  eight  years  of  existence  had  been  attended  by  over  one  hundred 
female  students.  The  professors  were,  with  few  exceptions,  members  of  the 
faculty  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  During  the  last 
year  Geo.  A.  Fackler  was  the  dean  of  the  faculty.  He  held  the  chair  of 
materia  medica.  Leonard  Freeman,  now  of  Denver,  Col.,  was  the  professor 
of  surgery;  C.  A.  L.  Reed  taught  gynecology;  W.  E.  Kiely,  practice;  Wm. 
H.  Wenning,  obstetrics ; T.  P.  White,  physiology,  and  J.  L.  Cilley,  anatomy. 

In  1890  a dental  department  was  organized  in  conjunction  with  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  and  Gustave  S.  Junkerman  placed 


Cincinnati  CoTnEGE  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  (1893) 


at  the  head  of  the  new  department,  which  began  operations  with  a class  of 
thirty-six  dental  matriculants.  At  the  end  of  the  term  ten  dental  students 
graduated.  During  the  second  session  much  friction  occurred  between  the 
dental  department  and  the  trustees  of  the  medical  department.  The  final 
result  was  an  open  rupture  which  eventually  led  to  the  secession  of  the  dental 
professors,  notably  G.  S.  Junkerman,  who  organized  an  independent  dental 
college,  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  on  Court,  near  Plum,  which 
has  been  in  successful  operation  since  1893. 

The  following  sketches  include  the  most  prominent  teachers  who  were 
connected  with  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 

ALVAH  H.  BAKER  was  born  on  a farm  in  Chester  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1806.  His  early  educational  advantages  were  scant.  He  came  to 
Plattsville,  Ohio,  in  1820  and  opened  a country  school.  While  teaching,  to 


295 


Ai.vah  H.  Baker 


J.  \V.  Underhile 


W.  P.  Thornton 


John  A.  Thacker 


296 


B.  S.  Lawson 


J.  B.  A.  Resk 


save  up  enough  money  for  a medical  education,  he  pursued  his  studies  in 
mathematics  and  in  Latin.  In  1830  he  matriculated  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College  and  graduated  the  following  year.  One  of  his  teachers  at  Jefferson 
was  Daniel  Drake,  who  lectured  there  during  one  term.  In  1833  Baker  began 
to  practice  in  Alexandria,  Preble  County,  Ohio.  After  three  years  he  moved 
to  Eaton  and  finally,  in  1846,  to  Cincinnati.  He  took  a lively  interest  in  the 
troubles  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and,  failing  to  get  a place  in  the 
faculty  of  the  school,  went  out  of  his  way  to  embarrass  the  school,  especially 
in  the  controversy  concerning  the  control  of  the  Commercial  Hospital.  In 
1851  he  was  ready  to  participate  in  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Medical 
College,  and  again  failing  in  his  ambition,  appealed  to  the  Ohio  Legislature 
for  a charter  of  a new  school,  the  ‘‘Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery.” The  origin  of  the  school  was  Baker’s  insatiable  ambition  to  be  a pro- 
fessor of  surgery.  While  practicing  in  Preble  County  he  had  done  some 
creditable  work  as  a surgeon  and  was  generally  considered  the  best  all  around 
surgeon  in  that  section  of  the  country.  Before  coming  to  Cincinnati  he  lec- 
tured on  surgery  in  the  Indiana  Medical  College  for  one  term.  In  conjunc- 
tion with  some  of  his  personal  friends,  notably  Dr.  Pliny  M.  Crume,  of 
Eaton,  Ohio,  he  founded  the  “Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.” 
He  became  its  professor  of  surgery,  delivering  didactic  lectures  with  great 
enthusiasm  until  the  time  of  his  death,  July  30,  1865.  In  order  to  provide 
clinical  material  for  demonstration  he  waged  a most  bitter  warfare  against 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  contributed  a liberal  share  to  the  general 
confusion  in  medical  affairs  in  the  fifties.  That  his  position  as  the  com- 
petitor of  two  masters  like  Mussey  and  Blackman  was  not  an  enviable  one, 
can  readily  be  understood.  As  a teacher  of  surgery  he  was  crude  and  lacked 
the  polish  of  the  college-bred  physician.  Native  genius  which  frequently 
supplants  education  he  did  not  possess.  He  was  energetic  and  had  a singular 
charm  of  personality  by  means  of  which  he  grappled  his  friends  to  his  soul 
with  hoops  of  steel.  He  was  extreme  and  intense  in  his  likes  and  dislikes 
and  would  adhere  to  a once  chosen  position  with  a stubbornness  that  could 
not  be  swayed  by  argument  nor  broken  by  force.  He  was  stately  and  dig- 
nified and  very  jealous  of  the  homage  which  he  thought  was  due  his  posi- 
tion. In  his  younger  days  he  was  a smart  dresser,  and  never  failed  to  im- 
press the  countryfolk  of  Preble  County  with  his  glossy  black  silk  hat,  pol- 
ished boots  and  latest  cut  of  coat  and  trousers,  with  manners  to  match. 

Baker  did  a great  deal  for  the  profession  as  an  indefatigable  and  prac- 
tical organizer.  He  presided  over  the  Medical  Convention  of  Ohio,  1847. 
He  was  one  of  the  twelve  physicians  who  in  1848  applied  for  and  obtained 
papers  of  incorporation  for  the  Ohio  State  Society.  Baker  took  a very  prom- 
inent part  in  the  preliminaries  and  personally  appealed  to  an  old  friend  and 
neighbor,  the  Hon.  Joseph  S.  Hawkins,  of  Eaton,  Ohio,  who  was  at  that 
time  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Ohio,  and  enlisted  this 
gentleman’s  good  will  and  support.  To  get  a charter  for  a medical  organi- 


297 


zation  at  that  time  was  by  no  means  a simple  matter.  There  had  been  so 
much  wrangling  in  the  ranks  of  the  profession  and  disagreement  involving 
the  Legislature  and  even  the  laity,  that  the  law-makers  in  Columbus  were 
always  glad  when  a session  passed  without  some  new  outbreak  among  the 
doctors.  Baker  was  a persistent  and  yet  popular  lobbyist.  He  did  most 
of  the  preliminary  work  in  founding  the  State  Society.  He  was  a regular 
attendant  at  its  meetings  and  was  always  very  much  in  evidence,  especially 
in  legislative  matters.  In  conducting  his  college,  popularly  known  as  “Baker’s 
School,”  he  proved  himself  a shrewd  and  successful  manager.  He  was  a 
good  judge  of  men  and  seldom  made  a mistake  in  choosing  a young  man  for 
some  important  position  in  the  school.  It  was  only  when  the  young  element 
asserted  itself  and  Baker  imagined  his  exalted  position  to  be  at  stake,  that 
trouble  arose.  This  fact  explains  the  many  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the 
professors  that  were  characteristic  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery  during  Baker’s  management.  The  only  man  that  held  out  was  B.  S. 
Lawson  who  had  no  surgical  ambition  and  was  otherwise  a mild-mannered 
and  unobtrusive  gentleman.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  Baker  was  a 
figure  to  be  reckoned  with  in  Cincinnati  in  his  day,  mainly  on  account  of  his 
aggressive,  pugnacious  temperament,  which  kept  his  adversaries  from  resting 
on  their  oars. 

BENJAMIN  S.  LAWSON,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  Surgery  and  its  first  professor  of  practice,  was  born 
in  Virginia,  in  1800.  His  early  education  was  scant.  He  came  to  Cincin- 
nati and  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1830.  He  entered  the 
Commercial  Hospital  and  remained  as  an  interne  for  one  year.  In  1851  he 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery and  became  its  professor  of  theory  and  practice.  He  held  this  chair  for 
twenty  years.  He  died  in  1886.  During  his  unusually  long  professional  ca- 
reer he  enjoyed  a large  patronage.  He  was  distinctly  a typical  physician  of 
the  old  school,  dignified  and  thoroughly  conventional  in  his  conduct  and  con- 
sistently conservative  in  his  therapy  and  ethics. 

EDWARD  MEAD  was  a native  of  England,  but  came  to  this  country 
at  an  early  age.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he 
began  to  study  medicine  under  the  direction  of  the  distinguished  Robert 
Thompson,  whose  name  has  been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  early 
struggles  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Mead  finally  matriculated  at  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  graduated  in  1841.  He  moved  to  Chicago 
where  he  had  charge  of  an  asylum  for  the  insane  and  lectured  in  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  Illinois  College.  In  1851  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  to 
assume  the  chair  of  obstetrics  in  the  newly  founded  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery.  During  the  second  term  he  lectured  on  mental  dis- 
eases and  medical  jurisprudence.  He  started  the  “American  Psychological 


298 


Journal”  in  1853  and  issued  five  numbers  of  it.  It  bears  eloquent  testimony 
to  his  ability  and  erudition.  He  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  second  Winter- 
term,  thoroughly  convinced  that  medical  teaching  is  not  always  an  unalloyed 
boon.  Mead  was  a man  of  high  ideals  in  medicine.  This  probably  accounts 
for  some  of  his  troubles  during  his  association  with  A.  H.  Baker.  He  re- 
mained in  Cincinnati  until  1869.  He  conducted  a sanitarium  ('‘Retreat  for 
the  Insane”)  beyond  College  Hill  and  later  on  in  S.  Mt.  Auburn.  He 
moved  to  Boston  and  devoted  his  time  to  practice  and  literary  work.  While 
on  a vacation  trip  in  1893,  the  steamer  was  wrecked  in  the  Azores  and  he 
was  drowned.  Mead  was  the  author  of  the  report  on  medical  education 
published  by  the  Illinois  State  Convention  in  1844,  and  contributed  to  the 
report  on  preliminary  education  adopted  by  the  National  Medical  Conven- 
tion which  met  in  New  York  in  1846.  A significant  utterance  occurred  in 
his  farewell  address  to  the  students  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery : 

“Quacks  may  vaunt — they  may  increase  and  multiply  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Colleges  may  vacillate — become  iniquitous,  engender  dissent,  pander  to  prejudice,  feed 
vanity,  seek  pelf;  but  the  true  science  of  medicine  stands  forth  in  its  spotless  purity,  a 
beautiful  superstructure,  enduring  as  the  rocky  sea-girt  isle  that  has  through  ages  with- 
stood the  lashing  billows  of  the  foaming  ocean  in  its  maddened  fury.” 

THOMAS  W.  GORDON  was  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery  during  the  early  years  of  its  existence.  He  lectured 
on  chemistry  and  for  two  or  three  years  on  materia  medica.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  served  as  surgeon  of  the  97th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  died  in  Georgetown,  Ohio,  in  1900,  eighty-one  years  old.  He 
was  one  of  the  strongest  supporters  of  the  American  Medical  Association  in 
the  early  years  of  its  career. 

ROBERT  CURRAN  was  born  in  Huntington  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1806.  The  family  drifted  to  Perry  County,  Ohio,  when  he  was  ten  years 
'old.  At  thirteen  he  was  left  an  orphan.  In  spite  of  many  hardships  he 
acquired  an  education,  mainly  through  Dr.  Wm.  Maclay  Awl,  who  was  his 
warm  friend.  The  latter  subsequently  rose  to  great  distinction  as  the  first 

superintendent  of  a State  Asylum  for  the  Insane  in  Ohio  (see  biographical 

sketch  of  M.  B.  Wright  elsewhere  in  this  book).  Young  Curran  studied 

under  Dr.  Awl  from  1828  to  1830,  took  one  course  at  the  Medical  College  of 

Ohio  and  obtained  a license  to  practice.  After  practicing  in  Indiana  for  a 
number  of  years  he  took  another  course  of  lectures  at  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  and  graduated  in  1837.  From  1848  to  1852  he  was  professor  of 
physiology  in  Asbury  University,  Greencastle,  afterwards  Indianapolis,  during 
the  term  1852-’53  professor  of  physiology  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medi- 
cine and  Surgery,  from  1853  to  1857  physician  to  the  Indiana  State  Prison. 
Ill  health  compelled  him  to  seek  rest  and  to  resign  the  chair  of  materia  medica 


299 


in  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine  to  which  he  had  been  elected  shortly 
after  he  left  Cincinnati.  He  finally  located  in  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  and  died 
there  in  1872.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
members  of  the  profession  in  Indiana,  particularly  conspicuous  as  a member 
of  the  State  Society. 

DANIEL  VAUGHN.  Scientific  altruism,  as  exemplified  in  the  life  and 
work  of  many  a European  scholar,  is  a phase  of  human  existence  that  seems 
to  have  no  place  on  American  soil.  Science  for  the  sake  of  science,  knowl- 
edge for  the  sake  of  knowledge,  without  the  expectation  of  returns  in  silver 
and  gold,  is  a species  of  philosophy  that  Americans  ordinarily  classify  under 
the  head  of  a mental  aberration,  a more  or  less  advanced  stage  of  lunacy. 
Scientific  altruism  is  the  purest  and  most  exalted  form  of  human  freedom. 


Daniel  Vaughn 


And  yet,  it  is  foreign  in  the  land  of  the  brave  and  the  home  of  the  free. 
We  rant  and  rave,  shouting  the  battle-cry  of  freedom  and  amid  all  the  glamor 
of  our  free  institutions  and  the  clamor  for  human  ideals,  many  an  apostle 
of  liberty  of  the  mind  and  freedom  of  the  soul,  remains  a slave  to  the  lowliest 
form  of  servitude.  Abject  poverty  is  the  grim  master  of  his  body  until  the 
unshackled  soul  is  liberated  by  the  hand  of  death.  Such  was  the  weird  life 
history  of  Daniel  Vaughn,  known  and  honored  the  world  over  as  one  of  the 
great  American  thinkers  and  scientists. 

Daniel  Vaughn  (or  Vaughan)  was  an  Irishman  by  birth.  He  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  at  Glenomara,  County  Clare,  Ireland,  about  the  year  1820. 
Wry  little  is  known  about  his  early  history.  In  after  life  Vaughn  never  dis- 
cussed it  or  anything  pertaining  to  it.  He  had  the  advantages  of  a good 
education.  An  uncle  of  his  was  a Roman  Catholic  priest  who  afterwards 
became  a bishop.  This  man  took  a keen  interest  in  his  nephew  and  gave  him 
every  opportunity  to  become  proficient  in  the  classics  and  in  all  the  other 


300 


branches  taught  at  classical  schools  in  Europe.  When  Daniel  was  eighteen 
years  old,  he  was  to  go  to  a theological  seminary  in  Cork.  He  was  to  study 
for  the  priesthood.  Daniel  who  had  not  been  consulted  in  the  matter,  took 
the  money  which  his  good  uncle  advanced  him  and  started  out.  In  Queens- 
town he  saw  ships  destined  for  distant  ports  and  after  a little  struggle  be- 
tween his  love  of  independence  and  the  severe  sense  of  duty  which  his  early 
training  had  developed  in  him,  he  boarded  an  American  liner  and  started  for 
the  new  world,  ready  to  carve  out  an  existence  and  a future  for  himself. 
After  setting  his -foot  on  American  soil,  he  wandered  about  a great  deal.  He 
visited  Virginia  and  other  Southern  States.  In  Kentucky  he  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a Colonel  Stamps,  of  Bourbon  County,  who  took  a great  deal 
of  interest  in  the  young  Irishman  and  offered  him  a home  and  suitable  em- 
ployment. Vaughn  became  the  teacher  of  Colonel  Stamps’s  children,  and, 
being  successful,  opened  a regular  private  school  which  was  attended  by  the 
children  of  the  neighboring  families.  It  was  a classical  school  because  he 
taught  Latin,  Greek,  mathematics,  geology,  astronomy,  etc.  For  awhile,  he 
taught  Greek  at  a college  in  Kentucky.  He  was  an  indefatigable  student  all 
the  time,  devoting  every  leisure  hour  to  scientific  reading.  His  intense  thirst 
for  knowledge  suggested  to  him  the  advantages  of  living  in  a large  town 
where  books  could  be  much  more  easily  obtained.  He  finally  decided  to  come 
to  Cincinnati  and  left  his  Kentucky  friends  who  had  learnt  to  love  their 
earnest  and  dutiful  teacher  and  were  loath  to  lose  him.  He  located  in  Cin- 
cinnati in  1850  and  soon  made  a reputation  as  a lecturer  on  scientific  sub- 
jects. He  occupied  the  chair  of  chemistry  in  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Insti- 
tute for  one  term,  and,  in  addition  to  his  college  work,  filled  engagements  to 
lecture  before  schools,  academies,  teachers’  institutes  and  colleges  in  all  parts 
of  Ohio  and  the  neighboring  States. 

In  1850  he  wrote  one  of  his  earliest  and  best  papers  on  a scientific  sub- 
ject. He  had  but  recently  taken  up  the  study  of  human  and  plant  physiology 
in  conjunction  with  certain  biological  researches  in  which  he  was  interested. 
The  paper  referred  to  was  entitled  “Chemical  Researches  in  Animal  and 
Vegetable  Physiology”  and  was  published  in  the  Eclectic  Medical  Journal, 
December,  1850.  Judging  from  the  comments  and  criticisms  in  the  contem- 
poraneous journals,  Vaughn’s  paper  elicited  a lively  discussion  and  gained 
for  its  author  a great  reputation  as  an  original  thinker  and  logical  reasoner. 
The  interesting  feature  of  Vaughn’s  paper  is  the  assumption  that  the  phe- 
nomena of  life  in  the  animal  as  well  as  in  the  vegetable  body  are  chemical 
processes  and  are  due  to  a form  of  electrolysis.  Vaughn  explained  the  ex- 
istence of  a dormant  force,  akin  to  galvanic  electricity,  in  the  organic  cell 
which,  therefore,  was  made  to  appear  in  the  role  of  an  electric  generator, 
its  stored-up  energy  or  electrical  force  being  synonymous  with  cell-vitality  or 
the  activity  of  the  vital  principle.  He  illustrates  the  point  by  a direct  analogy 
between  the  digestive  process  in  plants  (circulation  of  their  juices  and  evolu- 
tion of  oxygen)  and  the  conduct  of  voltaic  electricity.  He  then  applies  his 


301 


theory  to  the  activity  of  the  life  principle  in  the  animal  body  and  explains 
the  electrolytic  character  of  respiration,  digestion,  metabolism  and  other  vital 
phenomena.  Vaughn’s  paper  was  a remarkable  specimen  of  scientific  rea- 
soning. Virchow  was  theorizing  and  experimenting  along  the  same  lines  a 
few  years  later,  as  was  also  Draper,  who  was  the  leading  American  physi- 
ologist of  his  time.  Vaughn  was  in  advance  of  Dubois-Raymond  and  Claude 
Bernard,  whose  experiments  in  cell-physiology  are  well  known.  The  Eclectic 
Institute  where  Vaughn  was  teaching  chemistry  at  the  time,  showed  its 
appreciation  of  his  remarkable  work  by  making  him  (honoris  causa)  a Doctor 
of  Medicine  in  1855.  His  work  in  experimental  physiology  obtained  for  him  a 
Fellowship  in  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 
Among  the  schools  he  visited  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  lectures  were  the 
Normal  School,  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  the  Mechanics’  Institute,  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio. 

Vaughn’s  work  soon  attracted  attention  in  Europe,  especially  in  England, 
where  the  scientific  journals,  notably  the  of  Iho  British  Association 

for  the  Advancement  of  Science,”  published  his  papers  and  articles.  Many  of 
his  papers  appeared  in  Silliman’s  Journal,  whose  editor  was  the  distinguished 
professor  of  physics  at  Yale,  and  in  the  “American  Philosophical  Journal.” 
His  most  important  papers  were : 

Researches  in  Meteoric  Astronomy.  (Report  of  the  British  Association.  1854.) 

Secular  Variations  in  Lunar  and  Terrestrial  Motion.  (British  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science.  1857.) 

On  the  Light  of  Suns,  Meteors  and  Temporary  Stars.  (British  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science.  1857.) 

On  the  Effects  of  the  Earth’s  Rotation  on  Atmospheric  Movements.  (British  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  1859.) 

Chemical  Action  of  Feeble  Currents  of  Electricity.  (Proceedings  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  1851.) 

On  the  Growth  of  Trees  in  Continental  and  Insular  Climates.  (British  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  1859.) 

On  Luminous  Meteors  and  Temporary  Stars.  (The  London,  Edinburgh  and  Dublin 
Philosophical  Magazine.  4th  series.  Vol.  XVI.) 

He  wrote  extensively  on  astronomy  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  success- 
fully attacking  the  nebular  hypothesis  of  the  great  astronomer,  Laplace. 
Many  scientific  bodies  in  Europe  recognized  the  merit  of  his  work  in  as- 
tronomy by  conferring  honorary  memberships  upon  him.  Not  the  least  of  his 
many  achievements  was  his  phenomenal  linguistic  ability.  He  was  an  ac- 
complished French,  German,  Italian  and  Spanish  scholar,  not  to  mention  his 
complete  mastery  of  Latin  and  Greek.  As  a mathematician,  he  ranked  among 
the  leaders  in  this  country. 

In  1860  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  The  twelve  years  of  Vaughn’s 
activity  in  this  institution  form  the  brightest  chapter  in  the  checkered  career 
of  “Baker’s  School.”  During  that  time  another  of  Cincinnati’s  intellectual 


302 


giants  began  his  career  as  a teacher  in  a subordinate  position  at  the  Cincinnati 
College.  This  fledgling  was  Phineas  S.  Conner,  whose  remarkable  gifts 
Vaughn  soon  recognized.  He  took  a warm  and  friendly  interest  in  the  much 
younger  Conner  who  always  referred  to  this  fact  with  great  pride.  Doctor 
Conner  told  a characteristic  story  about  Vaughn’s  total  absorption  in  his  own 
world  of  thought.  Vaughn  had  called  for  a foreign  letter  in  the  old  Post- 
oflice  (Fourth  and  Vine).  The  letter  brought  the  announcement  of  an  Hon- 
orary Fellowship  being  conferred  upon  him  by  some  scientiflc  society  in 
France.  While  he  was  walking  along,  reading  the  letter,  he  took  a misstep, 
landing  on  his  back  in  the  gutter.  It  had  been  raining  and  the  streets  were 
covered  with  slush.  Lying  in  the  dirt  did  not  seem  to  bother  Vaughn  in  the 
least.  Undismayed  he  flnished  reading  his  letter,  then  slowly  emerged  from 
the  mire  and  walked  on.  In  1872  Vaughn  resigned  his  position  with  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  lectured  at  various  places  in 
Lexington,  in  Louisville,  etc.  His  Cincinnati  friends  lost  track  of  him.  Only 
occasionally  one  would  notice  him  bending  over  a book  in  the  Cincinnati 
Public  Library,  with  a woolen  shawl  drawn  over  his  head,  oblivious  to  his 
surroundings.  He  hardly  ever  spoke  to  anyone.  He  seemed  wrapped  up  in 
his  own  thoughts.  He  had  grown  suspicious  and  fearful  of  people.  He 
slowly  seemed  to  waste  away,  his  form  was  stooped,  his  eye  hollow,  his  cheek 
sunken  and  shrivelled.  The  world,  at  least  the  small  world  in  Cincinnati,  had 
forgotten  the  man  whose  illustrious  name  was  spoken  with  respect  in  all 
European  countries.  One  day  in  1879,  it  was  on  April  1,  the  profession  of 
the  city  was  startled  by  the  news  that  in  the  building  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Sixth  and  John  Streets,  in  a cold,  cheerless  room  containing  a broken  chair, 
an  old  bedstead  and  a pile  of  rags,  an  emaciated  old  man,  covered  with  dirt 
and  prostrated  from  pulmonary  hemorrhage,  was  found  by  a neighbor.  It 
was  Daniel  Vaughn  and  the  world  suddenly  remembered  the  brilliant  scholar 
of  years  gone  by.  Willing  hands  and  tender  hearts  brightened  the  last  few 
days  of  the  poor  sufiferer  who  was  placed  in  the  care  of  the  good  Sisters  of  the 
Good  Samaritan  Hospital.  On  April  6,  his  martyrdom  came  to  an  end  and 
his  noble  soul  gained  its  freedom.  Daniel  Vaughn,  among  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  his  townsmen,  will  be  one  of  the  very  few,  whose  name  will  survive 
this  century.  Can  anyone  fathom  the  depth  of  this  man’s  martyrdom,  alone 
in  a cold  room,  sick  in  body  and  soul,  with  nothing  to  eat  and  without  even 
one  human  being  to  hand  him  a cooling  drink  for  his  feverish  lips?  His  only 
companion  was  a well-worn  Bible,  covered  with  flnger-marks  and  candle- 
drippings.  He  perished  from  starvation  in  a land  of  plenty,  and  in  a city 
blessed  with  prosperity.  He  died  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  a devout  Roman 
Catholic.  John  Uri  Lloyd,  the  author  of  '‘Etidorhpa,”  has  paid  the  following 
beautifully  pathetic  tribute  (‘‘Etidorhpa,”  10th  ed.,  p.  160)  to  the  memory  of 
Daniel  Vaughn: 

“Daniel  Vaughn  was  fitted  for  a scientific  throne,  a position  of  the  highest  honor; 
but,  neglected  by  man,  proud  as  a king,  he  bore  uncomplainingly  privations  most  bitter 


303 


and  suffered  alone  until  he  finally  died  of  starvation  and  neglect  in  the  city  of  his  adop- 
tion. Some  persons  are  ready  to  cry : ‘Shame ! Shame !’  at  wealthy  Cincinnati ; others 
assert  that  men  could  not  give  to  Daniel  Vaughn,  and  since  the  first  edition  of  ‘Eti- 
dorhpa’  appeared,  the  author  has  learned  of  one  vain  attempt  to  serve  the  interests  of 
this  peculiar  man.  He  would  not  beg,  and  knowing  his  capacities,  if  he  could  not 
procure  a position  in  which  to  earn  a living,  he  preferred  to  starve.  The  only  bitterness 
of  his  nature,  it  is  said,  went  out  against  those  who,  in  his  opinion,  kept  him  from  such 
employment  as  returns  a livelihood  to  scientific  men ; for  he  well  knew  his  intellect 
earned  for  him  such  a right  in  Cincinnati.  Will  the  spirit  of  that  great  man,  the  tal- 
ented Daniel  Vaughn,  bear  malice  against  the  people  of  the  city  in  which  none  who  knew 
him,  will  deny  that  he  perished  from  cold  and  privation?  Commemorated  is  he  not  by  a 
bust  of  bronze  that  distorts  the  facts,  in  that  the  garments  are  not  seedy  and  unkempt, 
the  figure  stooping,  the  cheek  hollow,  and  the  eye  pitifully  expressive  of  an  empty 
stomach?  That  bust  modestly  rests  in  the  Public  Library  he  loved  so  well,  in  which  he 
suffered  so  uncomplainingly,  and  starved  so  patiently.” 

Was  Daniel  Vaughn’s  life  a failure?  Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of 
material  estimation,  it  was  not  a worldly  success.  Yet,  who  would  say  that 
the  life  of  any  man  who  added  to  the  sum-total  of  human  knowledge,  and, 
therefore,  of  human  happiness,  was  lived  in  vain?  Daniel  Vaughn  was  not 
of  the  world,  at  least  not  of  the  thoughtless,  frivolous,  ephemeral  world.  He 
was  a denizen  of  that  realm  where  the  breath  of  life  is  infused  by  the  love 
of  truth,  where  the  pulses  quicken  in  the  search  after  knowledge,  where  the 
concepts  of  birth,  life  and  death  are  lost  within  the  confines  of  eternity  and 
the  individual  is  absorbed  and  yet  perpetuated  by  the  Mind  Universal.  In 
this  realm  Daniel  Vaughn  lived  the  life  of  a nobleman,  a prince  among  men. 
He  has  not  lived  in  vain, — 

“Denn  wer  den  Besten  seiner  Zeit  gelebt, 

Der  hat  gelebt  fiir  alle  Zeiten  !” 

J.  B.  A.  RISK,  born  in  Georgetown,  Ky.,  in  1823,  attended  Transylvania 
University  and  graduated  from  its  medical  department  in  1848.  He  located 
at  Morgan  Station,  Pendleton  County,  Kentucky,  and  in  the  course  of  forty 
or  more  years  of  practice  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  physicians  in 
the  Southwest.  He  lived  and  practiced  at  Falmouth,  Ky.,  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life.  He  was  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  from  1864  as  a lecturer  on  almost  every  branch.  His  best  work 
was  done  in  the  chair  of  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  diseases  of  children  which 
he  filled  for  five  years  during  the  sixties.  He  retired  in  1885  but  continued 
to  serve  the  college  as  a member  of  its  board  of  trustees.  He  died  in  1891 
at  Falmouth. 

DANIEL  S.  YOUNG,  picturesque  character,  surgeon,  artist,  inventor, 
was  born  in  New  York  in  1827.  He  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  Albany 
Medical  College,  New  York,  in  1855,  and  located  in  Cincinnati.  During  the 
war  he  was  surgeon  of  the  21st  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  After 
the  war  he  lectured  on  surgery  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 

304 


Surgery,  succeeding  A.  H.  Baker,  the  founder  of  the  college,  who  died  in 
1805.  He  contributed  some  valuable  papers  on  military  surgery  to  the  ‘‘Cin- 
cinnati Journal  of  Medicine’’  which  was  edited  by  G.  C.  Blackman.  The 
beautiful  colored  illustrations  which  accompany  these  papers  were  Young’s 
work,  who  was  an  expert  draftsman,  painter,  engraver,  lithographer  and 
wood-cutter.  Young  was  engaged  in  writing  a Surgical  History  of  the  Civil 
War  but  abandoned  the  work  when  the  War  Department  announced  the 
preparation  of  such  a work  by  the  Surgeon  General’s  Office.  Young  was 
for  some  years  connected  with  the  surgical  staff  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital. 
He  enjoyed  a wide  reputation  as  a surgeon  and  an  obstetrician.  He  died 
in  1902. 

Dan  Young,  as  he  was  generally  known,  was  a versatile  man.  Years  ago 
he  discovered  that  zinc  plates  might  be  used  for  engraving.  He  never 
thought  of  patenting  his  invention.  If  he  had,  he  might  have  amassed  mil- 
lions. He  was  a master  of  the  art  of  etching  and  modelling.  Some  beau- 
tiful samples  of  his  work  are  to  be  found  in  the  Library  of  the  Cincinnati 
Hospital.  He  was  a violin-maker  whose  products  excited  the  admiration  of 
connoisseurs  everywhere.  There  was  hardly  any  kind  of  handiwork  in  which 
Young  did  not  excel.  In  making  splints  or  dressings  of  any  kind  he  was 
as  cjuick  as  he  was  resourceful  and  artistic.  That  he  possessed  the  eccen- 
tricities of  genius  to  a very  liberal  extent,  it  is  but  natural  to  suppose.  Black- 
man had  a very  high  regard  for  Young  as  a surgeon. 

Young  in  1867  reported  a case  of  gangrene  of  the  heart,  a pathological 
curiosity.  In  1880  he  made  a drawing  within  twelve  hours  after  the  shooting 
of  President  Garfield,  showing  the  exact  location  of  the  bullet.  The  autopsy 
made  many  weeks  later  jmoved  the  correctness  of  Young’s  diagram. 

THOMAS  CARROLL  was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  in  1795.  His 
pareiits  came  to  America  in  1804  and  settled  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio, 
where  young  Carroll  grew  up  amid  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  He  man- 
aged to  attend  Transylvania  Gniversity,  and,  having  received  his  degree  in 
medicine,  returned  to  the  home  of  his  parents  to  practice  medicine.  In  1841 
he  decided  to  locate  in  Cincinnati  where  he  eventually  became  one  of  the 
leading  physicians.  He  was  professor  of  gynecology  in  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  Surgery  from  1867  to  1868.  He  died  in  1871.  He 
contributed  many  papers  of  value  to  the  current  journals. 

CHARLES  WOODWARD  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  in  1803.  He  at- 
tended Princeton  University,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  1825,  and 
matriculated  as  a student  of  medicine  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  graduated  in  1828  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Cincinnati.  He 
lived  here  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1874.  In  1857  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  For  a short  time  he  was  the 
incumbent  of  the  chair  of  physiology  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine 


305 


Thomas  Carroli^ 


Joseph  Aub 


W.  A.  Rothackkr  . Charees  Woodward 


and  Surgery.  Considering  the  quiet  and  comparatively  uneventful  life  of  a 
man  like  Charles  Woodward  who  was  naturally  of  a modest  and  retiring 
disposition,  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  influence  of  his  professional  activity 
on  the  trend  of  medical  affairs  during  his  life.  He  gave  tone,  dignity  and 
high  respectability  to  medical  practice  and  impersonated  in  all  his  dealings 
the  type  of  the  perfect  professional  gentleman.  He  was  immensely  popular 
in  the  profession  and  exercised  a wholesome  influence  because  of  his  tactful 
and  conciliatory  temperament.  For  many  years  he  commanded  what  was 
considered  the  largest  general  practice  in  Cincinnati.  P.  S.  Conner  spoke 
of  Charles  Woodward  as  the  best  type  of  a general  practitioner  Cincinnati 
has  ever  had. 

W.  T.  TALLIAFERRO  (popularly  known  as  Dr.  Tolliver)  was  born 
in  the  South  where  the  name  of  Talliaferro  has  been  a familiar  one  for  more 
than  a century.  Col.  Nicholas  Talliaferro  whose  father  was  an  Italian  by 
birth,  served  with  distinction  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  after  the 
war  settled  in  Kentucky.  Doctor  Talliaferro,  son  of  Colonel  Talliaferro, 
saw  the  light  of  day  in  Newington,  Orange  County,  Virginia.  He  enlisted 
as  a volunteer  in  Ball’s  Kentucky  Light  Dragoons  who  in  the  war  of  1812 
formed  part  of  the  left  wing  of  Gen.  Wm.  H.  Harrison’s  army.  Later  on 
he  became  a sailor  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie  under  Commodore 
Perry.  He  again  enlisted  in  the  army  and  was  present  at  the  engagement 
of  Moravian  Town,  Canada,  in  1813.  His  patriotic  services  were  rewarded 
by  a purse  of  $700  and  a gold  medal  from  the  State  of  Kentucky.  He  began 
to  study  medicine  as  a student  apprentice  in  Augusta,  Ky.,  and  in  1818 
attended  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  located  in  Wash- 
ington, Ky.,  and  in  1823  operated  successfully  for  cataract  on  a boy  five 
years  old  who  had  been  blind  from  birth.  This  was  one  of  the  first  cataract 
operations  in  the  West.  To  qualify  himself  still  better  for  practice,  he  took  a 
course  at  the  University  of  New  York  in  1824.  Subsequently  he  located  in 
Maysville,  Ky.,  and  performed  many  cataract  operations  which  attracted  wide 
attention  in  the  West  and  South.  A story  is  told  of  a Mr.  Hutchcraft  who 
was  a wealthy  and  influential  man  and  had  become  blind.  He  had  been  a 
patient  of  B.  W.  Dudley,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  had  consulted  the  most  renowned 
physicians  in  the  East  and  in  Europe  and  had  returned  home  unimproved 
and  thoroughly  disheartened.  His  friends  urged  him  to  consult  Dr.  Tallia- 
ferro who  told  him  that  his  case  was  by  no  means  hopeless.  Mr.  Hutch- 
craft, in  keeping  with  an  agreement  made,  deposited  five  thousand  dollars  to 
be  paid  over  to  Dr.  Talliaferro  if  the  treatment  should  be  a success.  Mr. 
Hutchcraft  regained  his  sight  and  the  doctor  received  his  fee.  Doctor  Tallia- 
ferro realizing  the  necessity  of  a more  central  and  accessible  location,  moved 
to  Cincinnati  in  1841.  Together  with  Drs.  Vattier,  Strader  and  Marshall 
he  established  a hospital  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Franklin  Street  and 
Broadway  which  was  known  as  the  “Hotel  for  Invalids,”  and  was  the  second 


307 


regular  hospital  in  Cincinnati,  the  first  one  being  the  Commercial  Hospital 
founded  by  the  State  of  Ohio  at  the  instigation  of  Daniel  Drake  in  1820. 
The  ‘‘Hotel  for  Invalids”  was  a notable  institution  in  its  day.  Doctor  Tallia- 
ferro  was  connected  with  it  for  a number  of  years.  Some  of  the  best  physi- 
cians of  the  city  were  in  attendance  during  the  twenty-five  or  more  years  of 
its  existence.  It  was  considered  a well-appointed  institution  of  its  kind.  It 
attracted  patients  from  all  over  the  country,  most  of  whom  came  to  see 
Doctor  Talliaferro,  whose  cataract  operations  had  made  him  famous  through- 
out the  West  and  South.  In  1850  Doctor  Talliaferro  formed  a partnership 
with  his  nephew,  Philip  J.  Buckner,  who  had  been  a noted  surgeon  in  Ken- 
tucky and  located  in  Cincinnati  at  his  uncle’s  earnest  solicitation.  P.  J. 
Buckner  (born  in  Augusta^  Ky.,  in  1800,  made  an  honorary  Doctor  of 
Medicine  by  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1837,  a surgeon  of  great  ability) 
died  in  1853,  leaving  a son,  Wm.  Buckner  (born  at  Georgetown,  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  in  1824,  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1848, 
practiced  in  Georgetown,  Hamilton,  Chicago  and  Cincinnati,  died  in  1857  in 
Hillsboro,  Ohio)  who  became  Doctor  Talliaferro’s  partner.  For  awhile 
Talliaferro  was  associated  with  L.  M.  Lawson.  From  1861  his  son-in-law, 
James  H.  Buckner,  shared  his  practice.  Although  advanced  in  years.  Doctor 
Talliaferro  was  induced  to  accept  the  chair  of  ophthalmology  in  the  Cincinnati 
College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  and  filled  it  for  a number  of  years.  He 
died  March  22,  1871.  He  was  a unique  character,  much  beloved  on  account 
of  his  quaintness  and  originality.  In  his  special  work  he  was  a pioneer 
endowed  with  that  degree  of  common  sense  and  native  talent  which  erudition 
and  scientific  culture  per  se  can  never  supplant. 


JOSHUA  W.  UNDERHILL  was  born  in  Kingston,  Md.,  in  1837.  He 
was  raised  by  a childless  couple,  his  mother  having  died  when  he  was  three 
years  old,  and  his  father  having  left  for  parts  unknown  and  never  being 
heard  from  any  more.  Young  Underhill  grew  up  amid  the  hardest  kind  of 
toil.  After  working  hours,  instead  of  resting  his  tired  body,  he  sat  up  and 
studied  incessantly.  Eventually  he  drifted  to  Ohio  and  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine.  He  began  to  practice  in  Burnettsville,  Ind.,  in  1860.  He  re- 
ceived his  degree  at  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1865. 
The  following  year  he  took  the  ad  eundem  degree  at  the  New  York  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College.  During  the  Civil  War  he  saw  active  service,  first 
as  a private,  then  hospital  steward,  then  assistant  surgeon  and  finally  sur- 
geon of  the  46th  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  present  at 
the  capture  of  New  Madrid,  at  the  capture  of  Memphis,  at  the  skirmishes 
on  the  St.  Charles  River,  and  witnessed  the  destruction  of  the  steamer 
“Mound  City”  and  the  scalding  to  death  of  nearly  her  entire  crew.  He  was 
in  the  battles  of  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills  and  in  all  the  engagements 
that  led  to  the  capture  of  Vicksburg.  He  was  with  Sherman  during  the 


308 


siege  of  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  accompanied  his  regiment  on  various  sanguinary 
expeditions  in  Louisiana  and  other  Southern  States. 

In  1<S66  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  in  1(S72  lecturer  on  medical  jurisprudence,  in 
1879  professor  of  materia  medica,  in  1880  professor  of  obstetrics.  He  was  a 
Fellow  of  the  American  Gynecological  Society,  one  of  the  founders  and  in 
1879  president  of  the  Cincinnati  Obstetrical  Society.  In  1870  he  was  elected 
Coroner  of  Hamilton  County  and  for  years  was  a most  useful  member  of 
the  school  board. 

Underhill  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  men  in  the  local  profession.  He 
was  a tireless  student  and  a scholarly  writer.  Some  of  his  papers  on  medical 
jurisprudence  and  obstetrics  are  among  the  best  extant.  They  were  pub- 
lished in  the  ‘'American  Journal  of  Obstetrics,”  the  “Obstetric  Gazette,”  the 
“Cincinnati  Medical  News,”  and  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic.”  He  died,  a total 
physical  and  mental  wreck,  in  1888. 


GEORGE  E.  WALTON  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1839.  He  graduated 
from  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  in  1864.  He  entered  general  prac- 
tice in  Cincinnati  in  1867,  after  spending  two  years  in  Europe.  Fie  has 
contributed  liberally  to  the  literature  of  the  profession.  He  is  an  authority 
on  balneology,  climatology,  etc.  He  published  extensive  monographs  on  “The 
Mineral  Springs  of  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Spas  of  Europe,”  and 
“The  Health  Resorts  of  Europe  and  America.”  For  a time  he  lectured  on 
practice  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  is  living  in 
Daytona,  Fla. 


JAMES  H.  BUCKNER  was  born  in  Burlington,  Ky.,  in  1836.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  Covington  and  afterwards  the  literary  depart- 
ment of  the  Cincinnati  College.  In  1857  he  was  a student  at  Dartmouth 
College.  He  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1861  and  entered 
the  medical  service  of  the  army.  He  was  on  duty  on  the  gunboat  Cairo. 
Shortly  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Donelson  he  took  seriously  ill  and  was  sent 
home.  He  had  married  a step-daughter  of  Doctor  Talliaferro  and  became 
the  latter’s  partner  in  practice.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of 
anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  held  this  position  for  one  term. 
In  1866  he  was  appointed  professor  of  physiology  in  the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  After  Talliaferro’s  death  in  1872  he  took  the 
chair  of  ophthalmology  in  the  same  institution  and  served  on  the  staff  of  the 
Good  Samaritan  Hospital.  In  1873  he  became  a member  of  the  staff  of  St. 
Mary’s  Hospital.  In  1878  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Cincinnati  x\cademy 
of  Medicine.  In  1882  he  accepted  the  chair  of  ophthalmology  at  the  Toledo 
Medical  College  and  filled  it  for  one  term.  He  died  in  1906. 


309 


DAA’ID  D.  BRAAIBLE  was  born  in  Montgomery,  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  in  1839  and  received  his  early  education  in  Farmer’s  College,  College 
Hill,  Ohio.  For  a number  of  years  he  taught  school  and  finally  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine.  He  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  graduated 
in  1862.  After  serving  one  term  as  interne  in  the  Commercial  Hospital,  he 
entered  general  practice.  He  became  a member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1866,  assuming  the  chair  of 
anatomy.  In  1872  he  was  elected  professor  of  surgery  and  dean  of  the 
college.  In  1881  he  became  professor  of  genito-urinary  surgery,  George  B. 
Orr  assuming  the  chair  of  general  surgery.  Bramble  remained  the  incum- 
bent of  the  chair  of  genito-urinary  surgery  until  1893  when  he  retired  from 
the  school.  He  has  been  in  active  practice  of  his  profession  for  nearly  fifty 
years. 

WILLIAM  A.  ROTHACKER,  one  of  the  most  gifted  medical  men  that 
ever  came  from  a Cincinnati  medical  school,  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1851. 
He  received  his  medical  degree  from  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery  in  1877.  He  served  as  an  interne  in  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  and 
became  pathologist  to  the  institution  in  1878,  succeeding  the  brilliant  Landon 
R.  Longworth.  He  was  professor  of  pathology  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery  for  a number  of  years.  In  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 
lege he  lectured  on  pathological  anatomy  from  1884-85  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing term  on  principles  of  surgery  and  general  pathology.  His  knowledge 
of  normal  and  morbid  structures  was  phenomenal.  He  was  a plain,  unas- 
suming man  and  immensely  popular  with  the  students.  He  edited  an  ‘‘Atlas 
of  Gynecology”  (by  E.  A.  Martin  and  J.  P.  Maygrier).  About  the  year 
1890  he  disappeared  from  view.  Misfortune  of  diverse  kinds  had  overtaken 
him  and  blighted  the  existence  of  the  man  whose  future  at  one  time  seemed 
more  promising  than  that  of  any  young  physician  in  Cincinnati.  He  died 
in  1896. 

GILES  S.  MITCHELL  was  born  in  Martinsville,  Ind.,  in  1852,  took  his 
baccalaureate  degree  in  the  arts  at  the  University  of  Indiana  in  1873  "and 
graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1875.  He  became  the  assistant 
and  associate  of  Thad.  A.  Reamy,  his  father-in-law.  He  spent  nearly  three 
years  in  Europe  (1876-’78).  After  his  return  he  rapidly  rose  to  a position 
of  prominence  in  the  profession.  He  was  Doctor  Reamy’s  assistant  in  ob- 
stetrics at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  from  1879  to  1883,  and  in  1884 
became  professor  of  materia  medica  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  remaining  with  the  school  until  the  time  of  its  dissolution  in 
1902.  He  also  held  the  chair  of  obstetrics  in  the  Woman’s  Medical  College 
from  1887  to  1895.  He  was  for  several  years  gynecologist  to  St.  Mary’s 
Hospital  and  the  Presbyterian  Hospital.  He  was  president  of  the  Cincinnati 
Academy  of  Medicine  in  1884,  and  presided  over  the  section  of  gynecology 


310 


of  the  Pan-American  Aledical  Congress  in  Washington  in  1893.  In  addition 
to  being  an  excellent  practitioner  he  was  a very  public-spirited  citizen.  His 
premature  demise  occurred  in  1904.  He  was  a brother-in-law  of  James  G. 
Hyndman,  for  many  years  secretary  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 


W.  P.  THORNTON  was  born  in  Highland  County,  Ohio,  in  1817.  After 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  study  for  the  ministry  at  Wabash  College  in  1837, 
he  matriculated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine.  He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1839,  and,  in 
an  adventurous  mood,  went  to  Mississippi,  where  he  practiced  for  five  years. 
He  moved  to  Cincinnati  in  1846,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
in  a short  time.  He  was  for  years  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  and 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
Cincinnati  physicians  to  go  to  Europe  for  study.  In  1878  he  retired  from 
practice,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  on  his  beautiful  country  home  in 
College  'Hill,  where  he  died  in  1883. 


M.  B.  GRAFF  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1841.  He  attended  Woodward 
High  School  and  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  in  1862.  He  entered  the  army  but  had  to  return  home  on 
account  of  failing  health.  In  the  Fall  of  the  same  year  he  made  another 
attempt  to  serve  his  country  and  was  on  duty  for  about  ten  months  on  the 
gunboat  ‘Uity  of  Memphis,”  squadron  of  the  Mississippi.  In  the  Fall  of 
1863  he  entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
and  took  his  degree  in  1864.  He  returned  to  his  native  town  and  practiced 
medicine  until  1877  when  he  died  of  tuberculosis.  For  three  Winters  pre- 
ceding his  death  he  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 

R.  C.  STOCKTON  REED  who  was  at  the  helm  during  the  palmy  days 
of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  was  born  in  Franklin, 
Ohio,  in  1825.  He  attended  two  courses  of  lectures  at  Starling  Medical  Col- 
lege but  took  his  degree  at  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery 
in  1860.  He  began  to  practice  at  Wolf  Fake,  Ind.,  in  1852,  and  moved  to 
Stockton,  Ohio,  in  1861.  The  following  year  he  was  elected  professor  of 
materia  medica  in  his  Alma  Mater,  succeeding  Thad.  A.  Reamy,  who  had 
held  the  chair  for  two  years.  Reed  continued  as  professor  of  materia  medica 
until  1892  with  the  exception  of  two  sessions  (1880-1882).  In  1882  State 
medicine  was  added  to  his  subject.  In  1893  he  removed  to  California  but 
returned  a few  years  later  and  is  living  in  his  old  home  in  Stockton,  Ohio. 
Much  of  the  success  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  was 
due  to  his  judicious  management. 


311 


R.  C.  vStockton  Reed  C.  A.  L.  Reed 


James  C.  Cuebertson  Daniee  S.  Young 


Max  Thorner 


312 


Giees  S.  Mitcheee 


MARION  L.  AMICK  was  born  in  Scipio,  Ind.,  in  1843.  He  attended 
Hanover  College  but  interrupted  his  studies  to  serve  his  country  during  the 
Civil  War.  He  graduated  from  Hanover  in  1867  and  two  years  later  received 
his  degree  in  medicine  from  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 
He  was  connected  with  the  institution  named  in  the  capacity  of  demonstrator, 
later  professor  of  anatomy  until  1882,  professor  of  neurology  until  1892  when 
he  retired.  He  died  in  1904. 

CHARLES  ALFRED  LEE  REED,  son  of  R.  C.  Stockton  Reed,  was 
born  at  Wolf  Lake,  Ind.,  in  1856.  He  attended  Miami  University,  Oxford, 
Ohio,  and  studied  medicine  at  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery, graduating  in  1874.  He  did  post-graduate  work  in  Dublin,  Birming- 
hapi  and  London  and  began  to  practice  in  Fidelity,  111.,  subsequently  moving 
to  Hamilton,  Ohio.  In  1887  he  located  in  Cincinnati.  His  work  as  a med- 
ical teacher  began  in  1876  when  he  became  professor  of  pathology  in  his 
Alma  Mater.  He  resigned  after  one  year.  In  1882,  while  practicing  in 
Hamilton,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  gynecology  and  abdominal  sur- 
gery, He  filled  this  chair  for  nearly  twenty  years.  In  1902  he  was  made 
professor  of  clinical  gynecology  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  From  1892 
to  1902  he  was  a member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  University  of  Cin- 
cinnati. 

In  1890  Reed  was  elected  chairman  of  the  section  of  obstetrics  and 
gynecology  at  the  Nashville  meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
Since  that  time  his  career  forms  a part  of  the  history  of  the  profession  of 
this  country.  The  Pan-American  Congress  which  convened  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  in  1893,  was  planned  by  him.  He  was  the  secretary-general  of  this 
notable  gathering  which  was  attended  by  nearly  a thousand  delegates,  repre- 
senting eighteen  American  countries.  In  1896  when  the  Ohio  Legislature 
created  a Board  of  Medical  Registration  and  Examination,  Reed  became  a 
member  of  this  board.  He  resigned  in  1899.  In  1898  he  presided  over  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Association  of  Gynecologists  and  Obstetricians  of 
which  organization  he  was  one  of  the  founders.  In  1900  he  received  the 
highest  distinction  within  the  gift  of  the  American  profession,  the  presi- 
dency of  the  American  Medical  Association.  He  presided  over  the  St.  Paul 
meeting  in  1901.  In  1902  he  issued  his  “Text-book  of  Gynecology.”  In 
1904  he  went  to  Panama  in  the  capacity  of  Special  Commissioner  of  the 
United  States  Government.  His  report  concerning  conditions  on  the  Isthmus 
was  a remarkable  document  and  effected  many  reforms  in  the  management 
of  affairs.  Reed  has  been  honored  by  medical  associations  at  home  and 
abroad.  He  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker  in  the  interests  of  professional 
progress.  The  idea  of  unifying  the  whole  profession  on  a broad,  liberal  basis, 
with  a view  of  breaking  down  the  barriers  which  separate  the  different 
schools  in  medicine,  was  first  openly  expressed  by  him.  It  became  the  key- 
note of  the  policy  which  has  been  pursued  by  the  American  iMedical  Asso- 


313 


ciation  for  the  past  few  years.  This  modernism  in  the  profession  marks  a 
new  era  in  the  history  of  medicine  in  this  country  and  is,  without  a doubt, 
the  most  remarkable  achievement  in  the  history  of  the  national  association. 
Reed  has  boldly  and  lucidly  drawn  the  plans  according  to  which  the  evolution 
of  professional  and  social  economic  problems  must  take  place,  if  the  profes- 
sion is  to  maintain  its  position  of  influence  amid  the  rapidly  changing  con- 
ditions of  the  human  family,  socially,  educationally  and  economically.  With  a 
view  of  establishing  professional  character  on  a firmer  basis  than  the  shaky 
foundation  of  personal  opinions  about  the  materia  medica,  Reed  has  advo- 
cated elimination  of  materia  medica  from  the  list  of  subjects  to  be  considered 
by  State  Boards,  and  has  persistently  emphasized  the  necessity  of  a high 
standard  of  preliminary  and  medical  education  coupled  with  freedom  of 
therapeutic  action.  The  policy  of  the  national  association  in  regard  to  med- 
ical legislation  has  been  and  is  largely  inspired  by  Reed,  whose  career,  both 
at  home  and  in  the  larger  arena  of  national  activity  and  usefulness,  has 
hardly  reached  its  zenith,  and  yet,  has  been  full  of  achievements  of  a high 
order.  It  is  today  the  best  illustration  of  the  possibilities  of  Medical  Cincin- 
nati. His  efiforts  on  behalf  of  French  language  and  literature  have  been 
rewarded  by  the  French  Government  by  membership  in  the  Legion  of  Honor. 


JOSEPH  AUB,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  earlier  Cincinnati 
oculists,  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1846  from  plain,  old-fashioned  parents 
who  had  originally  come  from  Bavaria.  He  graduated  from  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  in  1866  and,  after  diligent  study  and  application,  took  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  for  the  second  time,  his  second  Alma  Mater 
being  the  University  of  Erlangen.  In  1869  he  became  resident  physician  in 
the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital  under  Knapp.  He  came  back  to  Cin- 
cinnati in  1871  and  was  appointed  oculist  and  aurist  to  the  Cincinnati  Hos- 
pital. In  1877  he  became  professor  of  ophthalmology  and  otology  in  the 
Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  resigning  the  chair  in  1882. 
He  was  a man  of  tireless  energy  and  boundless  ambition  who  in  a few  years 
had  become  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  line  of  work  in  the  West.  As  a result 
of  overwork  his  health  broke  down.  He  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1888,  not  quite 
forty-three  years  of  age. 

A memorable  surgical  feat  was  a transplantation  of  skin  from  the  arm  to 
the  eyelid  for  the  cure  of  ectropion,  the  flap  being  over  two  inches  long  and 
over  one  inch  wide.  Aub  performed  this  operation  successfully  in  1877. 
It  was  the  second  operation  of  its  kind  in  this  country.  Aub  was  a clean, 
painstaking  operator,  a skillful  diagnostician  and  well  versed  in  the  litera- 
ture of  his  branch  to  which  he  contributed  not  a few  papers  of  greatest  value. 
Aside  from  lectures  and  case  reports  published  in  the  current  journals  he 
contributed  his  most  important  papers  to  Knapp’s  “Archives  of  Ophthal- 
mology and  Otology.” 


314 


JOHN  A.  THACKER,  a master  of  the  pen  which  he  fearlessly  wielded 
in  the  interests  of  whatever  he  considered  right  and  worth  championing,  was 
the  son  of  a country  doctor  in  Goshen,  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  He  was  born 
in  1833.  His  love  of  books  and  of  knowledge  was  a characteristic  of  him 
when  he  was  a mere  boy.  His  father  decided  that  the  boy  should  have  edu- 
cational advantages  commensurate  with  his  natural  talents  and  sent  him  to 
Transylvania  University,  Lexington,  Ky.  There  the  boy  acquired  a splendid 
education,  and,  having  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  entered  the  latter’s  office  to  study  medicine.  Eventually 
he  became  a student  at  the  Miami  Medical  College  and  received  his  degree 
in  1856.  He  spent  one  year  as  interne  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  and  sub- 
sequently a year  in  the  Lick  Run  Asylum  for  the  Insane  as  medical  officer  in 
charge.  The  latter  institution  was  the  forerunner  of  the  present  Longview 
Asylum.  In  1863  Thacker  was  appointed  professor  of  psychology  and  dis- 
eases of  the  mind  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  and 
held  this  chair  for  ten  years.  In  1872  Dr.  B.  S.  Lawson  resigned  the  chair 
of  practice  and  Thacker  was  elected  to  fill  it.  He  resigned  in  1878  but  again 
filled  the  chair  of  practice  for  one  term  1882-’83.  He  died  in  1891. 

Thacker  was  an  expert  microscopist  and  had  a magnificent  collection  of 
microscopic  slides.  It  was  said  at  one  time  that  his  collection  of  diatomes 
was  the  most  valuable  in  this  country.  The  Royal  Microscopical  Society  of 
England  recognized  his  eminent  qualification  for  scientific  work  by  conferring 
a Lellowship  upon  him. 

Thacker  was  best  known  and  will  be  remembered  longest  as  a medical 
journalist  of  superior  ability.  He  had  the  proper  conception  of  the  position 
which  a medical  editor  should  occupy.  He  wrote  on  every  subject  of  interest 
to  the  profession,  expressed  his  views  with  strength  and  candor  and  recog- 
nized no  idols  except  truth  and  honor.  He  fought  rings  and  ringsters  unre- 
lentingly without  regard  to  the  name  or  the  station  of  the  individual  involved. 
In  1872  when  the  fight  for  the  control  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  had  grown 
more  bitter  than  ever,  Thacker  wrote  editorials  on  the  situation  that  show  at 
once  his  mastery  of  the  pen  as  well  as  his  clear  and  logical  mind  and  his 
great  moral  courage.  In  the  “Cincinnati  Medical  Repertory,”  which  he 
founded  in  1868,  and  in  its  successor,  the  “Medical  News,”  will  be  found  the 
evidences  of  Thacker’s  superb  fitness  for  medical  journalism.  He  and 
Thomas  C.  Alinor  are  unquestionably  facile  principcs  among  the  many  who 
have  tried  their  hands  at  medical  journalism  in  Cincinnati  for  fifty  years  past. 
In  private  life  Thacker  was  a hard-working  and  thrifty  practitioner,  who 
accumulated  quite  a fortune  through  frugal  habits  and  good  investments. 

JAMES  C.  CULBERTSON  was  born  at  Culbertson’s  Mills,  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  a place  named  after  the  large  flouring  mills  built  by  his  father. 
He  was  educated  at  Monroe  Academy  and  took  one  course  at  the  classical 
school  in  Philadelphia,  known  as  Jefferson  College  (not  to  be  confounded 


315 


with  Jefiferson  Aledical  College).  To  recuperate  his  health  he  spent  a few 
years  on  a farm  in  Butler  County  which  belonged  to  his  father.  In  1860  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  John  Davis,  of  Cincinnati. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a private  in  the  5th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  but  was 
detailed  as  hospital  steward  and  as  such  saw  much  service  in  different  places, 
notably  in  West  Virginia,  Maryland,  Virginia,  Washington  City,  and  finally 
in  the  Fall  of  1863,  Cincinnati.  He  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Cincinnati 
Marine  Hospital  where  his  preceptor,  John  Davis,  was  in  charge  at  the  time. 
He  utilized  his  spare  time  to  attend  lectures  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 
After  a few  months  his  health  began  to  fail  and  he  was  discharged  on  a 

certificate  of  disability.  He  returned  to  his  father’s  farm  but  joined  the 

service  again  in  May,  1864,  with  a commission  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the 
]37th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  remaining-  with  the  regiment  until  the  Fall 
of  1864,  when  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  service.  He  had  a chance  to 
take  a position  in  the  Insane  Asylum  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Blackwell’s 
Island,  and  accordingly  went  to  New  York  where  he  filled  the  position  of 

chief  medical  officer  of  the  institution  named,  and  incidentally  attended  lec- 

tures at  Bellevue,  receiving  his  degree  in  March,  1865.  The  following  month 
he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  entered  private  practice.  In  1873  he  purchased 
from  Dr.  E.  B.  Stevens  the  “Cincinnati  Lancet  and  Observer,”  which  in 
1875  absorbed  the  “Indiana  Journal  of  Medicine.”  The  latter  journal  was 
originally  a Cincinnati  publication  (“Cincinnati  Journal  of  Medicine,”  edited 
by  G.  C.  Blackman  and  Theophilus  Parvin).  Doctor  Parvin,  upon  his  re- 
moval to  Indianapolis,  took  the  journal  with  him  and  issued  it  from  Indian- 
apolis. It  was  absorbed  by  the  “Lancet  and  Observer”  in  1875.  In  1878 
Culbertson  obtained  possession  of  the  “Clinic,”  consolidated  it  with  his  own 
journal  and  renamed  the  latter  “The  Cincinnati  Lancet  and  Clinic.”  In 
1881  Culbertson  purchased  the  “Obstetric  Gazette”  and  continued  its  publi- 
cation. About  this  time  he  purchased  property  on  West  Seventh  Street  and 
erected  a building,  called  the  Lancet  Building,  for  the  accommodation  of  his 
printing  and  editorial  offices.  A hall  in  the  second  floor  was  for  many  years 
the  home  of  different  medical  societies,  notably  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of 
Medicine.  In  1891  Culbertson  moved  to  Chicago  and  edited  the  “Journal  of 
the  American  Medical  xA.ssociation.”  He  returned  in  1892.  In  addition  to 
his  journalistic  enterprises,  Culbertson  was  interested  in  different  industrial 
undertakings,  particularly  the  manufacture  of  fine  brick  and  tile.  He  was 
the  inventor  of  a furnace  for  the  abatement  of  the  bituminous  coal-gas 
nuisance.  His  furnace  is  placed  under  steam  boilers  and  burns  up  the  gas 
and  carbon  instead  of  allowing  their  escape  through  chimneys.  Culbertson 
died  after  a lingering  illness  in  1908.  As  a medical  journalist  he  gave  much 
of  value  to  the  profession,  especially  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  career. 
He  banished  the  approved,  tiresome,  academic  style  from  the  columns  of  his 
publications  and  was  thoroughly  journalistic  in  his  editorial  work.  His 
little  book,  “Luke,  the  Beloved  Physician,”  has  had  a large  sale.  For  a 


316 


number  of  years  he  held  the  chair  of  practice  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery. 

GEORGE  B.  ORR  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1841.  He  graduated  from 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1869.  He  assumed  the  chair  of  surgery  in 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1882  and  in  1889  the 
same  chair  in  the  Laura  Memorial  College.  He  had  been  assistant  to  the 
chairs  of  anatomy  and  surgery  in  the  Aledical  College  of  Ohio  from  1876 
to  1879.  His  father,  Thos.  Jefferson  Orr,  born  in  Virginia  in  1810,  came 
to  Cincinnati  in  1832,  graduated  from  Drake’s  College  in  1837,  located  in 
Utica,  Ind.,  returned  to  Cincinnati  in  1840  and  continued  in  practice  until 
1869.  He  died  on  his  farm  in  Kentucky  in  1873. 

• LAWRENCE  C.  CARR,  born  in  1855,  graduated  from  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio  in  1878  and  gathered  his  first  professional  experience  on  the 
yellow  fever  steamer  Porter.”  In  1883  he  was  appointed  professor  of 

obstetrics  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  resigned 
in  1887  to  volunteer  his  services  during  a yellow  fever  epidemic  in  Jackson- 
ville, Fla.  In  1898  President  McKinley  appointed  him  surgeon  of  the  United 
States  Volunteers  with  the  rank  of  major.  He  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
General  Hospital  at  Santiago,  Cuba.  The  following  year  he  was  appointed 
medical  inspector  and  chief  sanitary  officer  for  the  Eastern  division,  Cuba. 
In  1901  he  rose  to  the  position  of  chief  surgeon  of  the  Eastern  division.  In 
1902  he  was  surgeon  in  charge  of  Camp  Vicars,  Mindanao,  P.  I.  He  left 
the  service  in  1903  and  made  a trip  around  the  world,  whereupon  he  resumed 
his  practice  in  Cincinnati. 

J.  TRUSH  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1837.  He  came  to  this  country 
at  an  early  age.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  St.  Louis  Medical 
College,  heard  lectures  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  received  his 
degree  from  the  first  named  institution  in  1865.  He  entered  the  service  in 
1861  as  hospital  steward,  16th  Illinois  Infantry,  Quincy,  111.,  was  commis- 
sioned assistant  surgeon  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  in  1862,  and  accom- 
panied his  regiment  in  many  engagements,  raids  and  battles  under  Generals 
Negley,  Rosecrans  and  Sherman.  He  served  throughout  the  Civil  War, 
winning  promotions  by  attention  to  and  faithful  performance  of  duty.  He 
received  his  honorable  discharge  in  1865  as  surgeon  with  the  rank  of  major. 
He  has  been  in  active  practice  since  1865.  He  entered  the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Aledicine  and  Surgery  in  1872  and  has  at  different  times  held  the  chairs 
of  physiology,  obstetrics  and  practice.  He  retired  from  the  school  in  1893. 
As  a lucid  lecturer  and  practical  teacher  he  was  much  esteemed. 

MAX  THORNER  was  born  in  Geestemuende,  Germany,  in  1859.  He 
attended  the  Gymnasium  at  Oldenburg  and  studied  medicine  at  the  Univer- 
sities of  Jena,  Leipzig,  Heidelberg  and  Munich.  At  the  latter  place  he  took 

317 


his  degree  in  188d.  After  another  year  of  clinical  work  in  Berlin,  Paris, 
Vienna  and  London  he  located  in  Cincinnati  and  in  a short  time  was  recog- 
nized as  an  eminently  well  qualified  laryngologist.  He  served  on  the  staff 
of  the  Jewish  Hospital  and  subsequently  also  on  that  of  the  Cincinnati  Hos- 
pital. In  1888  he  was  appointed  professor  of  laryngology  and  otology  in 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  was  one  of  the  con- 
tributors to  Burnett’s  ‘‘System  of  Diseases  of  the  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat,” 
and  in  every  way  an  active  worker  in  his  specialty.  His  untimely  death 
occurred  in  1899. 


HERS  HELL  D.  HINCKLEY,  born  in  Eranklin  County,  Indiana,  in 
1847,  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  graduating  in  1867.  He  con- 
rinued  his  studies  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  the  London  Hos- 
pitals. In  1875  he  located  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  built  up  a large  practice.  He 
was  the  first  health  officer  of  Oxford,  organizer  of  its  Board  of  Health  and 
author  of  its  health  ordinances.  He  was  a trustee  of  the  Miami  University 
for  nine  years.  The  institution  recognized  the  value  of  his  work  by  con- 
ferring upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  xVrts.  Professionally  he  had  be- 
come identified  with  surgery  and  accepted  the  appointment  of  professor  of 
surgery  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1894.  He 
became  a resident  of  Cincinnati  in  that  year.  He  filled  the  chair  named  until 
1902,  when  the  college  was  abandoned.  Eor  two  terms  he  lectured  on  oral 
surgery  and  pathology  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Dental  Surgery.  Prom 
1896  to  1907  he  was  surgeon  to  St.  Mary’s  Hospital.  In  the  latter  year, 
owing  to  failing  health,  he  retired  from  practice  and  sought  the  Horatian 
ideal  of  human  happiness  on  a farm  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  close  to  the 
bosom  of  nature.  Beatus  ille,  qiii  procul  negotiis,  etc. 

Many  other  men  have  been  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery,  especially  during  the  first  decade  of  its  existence 
when  the  personnel  of  the  faculty  was  constantly  changing. 

The  professors  of  anatomy  were  R.  A.  Spencer,  C.  G.  Comegys,  W.  W. 
Dawson,  Robert  Spencer,  Wm.  P.  Thornton,  D.  D.  Bramble,  M.  L.  Amick, 
W.  A.  Rothacker,  W.  A.  Martin,  Charles  E.  Caldwell  and  W.  E.  Lewis.  The 
latter  two  subsequently  joined  the  faculty  of  the  Miami  Medical  College,  the 
former  (1890)  'as  professor  of  descriptive  anatomy  and  later  of  orthopedic 
surgery,  the  latter  (1901)  as  professor  of  anatomy.  Lewis  is  considered 
one  of  the  best  teachers  of  anatomy  in  the  Middle  West.  Spencer  came 
from  Monticello,  Ind.,  and  had  a great  reputation  as  an  anatomist. 

The  professors  of  physiology  were  R.  A.  Spencer,  Robert  Curran.  Charles 
Woodward,  Chandler  B.  Chapman,  R.  R.  Mcllvaine,  J.  H.  Buckner,  E.  B. 
Anderson,  J.  Trush,  R.  B.  Davey,  A.  B.  Isham,  Wm.  Judkins,  J.  H.  Hazard 
and  John  M.  Shaller. 


318 


The  professors  of  chemistry  were  Chas.  W.  Wright,  Elijah  Slack,  Geo.  M. 
McLean,  E.  S.  Wayne,  J.  W.  Gordon,  Daniel  Vaughn,  Chauncey  R.  Stuntz, 
J.  P.  Patterson  and  Wm.  Dickore.  Stuntz  was  for  many  years  a teacher  in 
Woodward  High  School.  Dickore  is  an  eminent  chemist  who  later  on  was 
connected  with  the  Miami  Medical  College.  McLean  was  a Princeton  man 
(1826)  who  had  taught  chemistry  and  natural  sciences  in  Hanover  College, 
Indiana.  He  was  a graduate  of  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  (1829).  He  died  in  1386. 

The  professors  of  materia  medica  were  James  Graham,  J.  S.  Harrison, 
J.  W.  Gordon,  T.  A.  Reamy,  R.  C.  Stockton  Reed,  and  A.  B.  Isham.  Har- 
rison who  had  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1818,  had 
been  a professor  in  the  Central  Indiana  Medical  College  where  A.  H.  Baker 
was  associated  with  him.  He  subsequently  practiced  in  St.  Louis. 

The  professors  of  practice  were  B.  S.  Lawson,  J.  A.  Thacker,  G.  E. 
Walton,  J.  Trush,  J.  C.  Culbertson  and  Wm.  E.  Kiely. 

The  professors  of  surgery  were  A.  H.  Baker,  Thomas  Wood,  P.  S.  Con- 
ner, Daniel  S.  Young,  Chas.  F.  Thomas,  D.  D.  Bramble,  George  B.  Orr,  and 
H.  D.  Hinckley.  Thomas  was  a successful  practitioner  of  Covington,  Ky. 

The  professors  of  obstetrics  were  Edward  Mead,  Pliny  M.  Crume,  J. 
H.  Tate,  G.  R.  Chitwood,  J.  B.  A.  Risk,  E.  Buckner,  A.  J.  Miles,  J.  Trush, 
J.  W.  Underhill,  Chas.  A.  L.  Reed  and  L.  C.  Carr. 

The  professors  of  gynecology  were  Edward  Mead,  Pliny  M.  Crume,  J.  H. 
Tate,  G.  R.  Chitwood,  J.  B.  A.  Risk,  Thomas  Carroll,  A.  J.  Miles  and  G. 
Mitchell.  Chitwood  came  from  Connersville,  Ind. 

Other  men  who  were  connected  with  the  institution  in  some  capacity  or 
other  were  J.  S.  Skinner . subsequently  a practitioner  in  Columbus,  Ohio; 
J.  W.  Mighels  who  wrote  good  papers  on  obstetrics  for  the  journals;  G.  A. 
Gotwald,  who  practiced  near  Dayton,  Ohio ; Lewis  L.  Pinkerton,  a general 
practitioner  in  Carthage,  Ohio,  who  was  associated  with  Drake  in  the  Ham- 
ilton County  Medical  Association ; J.  W.  Tullis  who  afterwards  practiced 
in  Troy,  Ohio;  J.  C.  Beck,  originally  of  Indiana,  who  subsequently  became  a 
nostrum  vender ; T.  A.  Pinkney,  who  was  located  in  College  Hill,  Ohio,  and 
B.  P.  Goode,  an  excellent  general  practitioner  of  Cincinnati,  who  gave  the 
profession  some  valuable  statistics  on  intubation.  Many  of  the  early  teachers 
resided  and  practiced  in  other  towns  but  came  to  Cincinnati  to  lecture,  e.  g., 
T.  A.  Reamy  who  for  two  years  journeyed  all  the  way  from  Zanesville  to 
lecture  at  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 

The  impression  prevails  that  the  school  has  not  been  definitely  abandoned, 
but  that  it  is  only  in  suspensu  temporarily.  If  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Cincinnati,  the  product  of  the  merger  of  the  Ohio  and 
Miami  Colleges  (1909),  should  prove  a disappointment,  a re-organization  of 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  is  likely  to  be  attempted. 


319 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  MIAMI  MEDICAL  COLLEGE. 

(1852—1857.) 

The  circumstances  out  of  which  the  Miami  Medical  College  was 
evolved  have  already  been  referred  to.  The  organization  of  a num- 
ber of  private  medical  schools  (Summer  schools,  preparatory  schools, 
cpiizz  classes)  by  some  of  the  ambitious  young  men  in  Cincinnati,  notably  the 
“Cincinnati  Medical  Institute”  in  1850,  had  prepared  the  soil  upon  which  a 
new  school  could  spring  up  and  grow.  The  event  which  precipitated  the 
long-expected  denouement  was  the  resignation  of  Reuben  D.  Mussey  from 
the  Ohio  faculty.  Mussey’s  troubles  with  his  ambitious  colleague  Shotwell 
have  been  spoken  of  elsewhere.  The  condition  of  unrest  in  the  Ohio  school, 
the  constant  change  in  the  personnel  of  the  Ohio  faculty,  the  meddling  of  the 
trustees  with  the  business  of  the  professors,  all  these  factors  contributed 
towards  disgusting  Mussey  with  the  surroundings.  He  resigned  and — nolens 
volens — became  the  nucleus  of  a coterie  of  able  and  aggressive  men  who 
persuaded  him  that  the  psychological  moment  of  starting  a rival  school  had 
arrived,  and  that  he  was  the  Messiah  for  whose  coming  they  had  been  waiting 
for  these  many  years.  Mussey  was  seventy-two  years  old  at  the  time,  had 
served  the  Ohio  school  thirteen  years  and  was  the  acknowledged  head  of  the 
surgical  fraternity  in  the  West.  Mussey  took  the  lead  in  the  movement  and 
the  Miami  Medical  College  began  its  career.  The  charter  of  the  new  school 
was  granted  by  the  Commissioners  of  Hamilton  County  according  to  a law 
which  had  been  passed  by  the  Ohio  Legislature  the  previous  winter,  author- 
izing county  commissioners  to  grant  charters  when  a sufficient  amount  of 
stock  had  been  subscribed. 

The  first  faculty  meeting  was  held  in  the  office  of  Dr.  John  F.  White,  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Race  and  Fourth  Streets,  July  22,  1852.  There  was 
much  enthusiasm  when  the  distinguished  Mussey  arose  and  moved  to  elect 
Jesse  P.  Judkins  dean  of  the  new  school.  Organization  was  efifected  by 
electing  R.  D.  Mussey  professor  of  surgery,  J.  P.  Judkins  professor  of  sur- 
gical anatomy  and  pathology,  Chas.  L.  Avery  professor  of  descriptive 
anatomy,  John  Davis  adjunct  professor  of  anatomy,  John  F.  White  pro- 
fessor of  practice,  George  Mendenhall  professor  of  obstetrics  and  diseases 
of  women  and  children,  John  A.  Murphy  professor  of  materia  medica,  ther- 
apeutics and  medical  jurisprudence,  C.  G.  Comegys  professor  of  institutes  of 


320 


medicine  (physiology),  and  John  Locke,  Jr.,  professor  of  chemistry.  The 
appointment  of  John  Locke,  son  of  the  great  scientist,  was  prompted  by 
sentiment  rather  than  by  his  particular  fitness.  John  Locke,  Sr.,  was  ignomini- 
ously  dismissed  from  the  faculty  of  the  Ohio  College  a few  months  after  the 
Miami  College  had  begun  its  career.  Locke’s  position  in  the  college  had 
been  in  jeopardy  for  at  least  two  terms.  Vattier  hated  him  and  would  have 
probably  dismissed  him  sooner  if  he  had  been  able  to  find  a suitable  substi- 
tute. Perhaps  he  was  afraid  that  the  Miami  faculty  would  be  strengthened 
by  the  accession  of  Locke.  The  latter  was  immensely  popular  among  the 
younger  men  in  the  profession,  and  it  is  more  than  likely  that  efforts  were 
made  to  persuade  Locke  to  resign  with  Mussey  and  join  the  new  school. 
John  Locke’s  heart  was  with  the  old  school  that  he  had  helped  to  build  up. 


Miami  Medical  College  (1852-1857) 


He  remained  at  his  post  until  told  that  he  was  no  longer  wanted.  John 
Locke,  Jr.,  was  elected  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Miami  College,  but  he 
never  served.  He  remained  with  his  father  in  the  Ohio  school  in  the  capacity 
of  assistant.  His  place  in  the  Miami  school  was  taken  by  H.  E.  Foote. 

The  building  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  Street  and  Central  Avenue 
(Western  Row)  was  remodelled  and  became  the  first  home  of  the  Miami 
Medical  College.  A dispensary  was  established  in  the  college  building  and 
clinical  lectures  and  demonstrations  given  in  St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids, 
northwest  corner  Third  and  Plum  Streets,  which  was  under  the  professional 
control  of  the  Miami  faculty.  The  new  school  started  with  thirty-four  stu- 
dents. The  school  grew  in  favor  with  the  profession  and  enjoyed  increasing 
patronage.  The  graduating  class  in  1853  numbered  seven,  in  1854  seven- 
teen, in  1855  seventeen,  in  1856  eighteen,  in  1857  thirty-one.  The  number  of 


321 


matriculants  in  1857  was  three  times  as  large  as  that  of  the  first  class  (1852). 
The  granting  of  diplomas  was  accompanied  by  much  ceremony  and  was  made 
very  impressive  by  the  ofYering  up  of  the  Hippocratic  oath  in  the  following 
modernized  form : 

“In  -the  presence  of  the  trustees  and  faculty  of  Miami  College,  and  the  people 
assembled,  I do  solemnly  pledge  my  honor  as  a gentleman,  that,  in  being  admitted 
to  the  rights,  duties  and  privileges  of  the  Profession  of  Medicine,  I will  faithfully 
perform  the  duties  which  may  devolve  upon  me  as  a member  thereof,  that  I will  strictly 
observe  the  rules  and  etiquette,  acknowledged  by  the  profession  for  its  government  and 
more  particularly  as  laid  down  in  the  Code  of  Ethics,  adopted  by  the  American  Medical 
Association,  and  which  has  been  read  and  explained  to  me.  This  I do  with  the  full 
and  explicit  understanding,  that  should  I knowingly  fail  in  any  important  particular, 
to  perform  my  duties  in  accordance  with  this  pledge,  I hereby  concede  to  the  trustees 
and  faculty  of  the  college  (after  due  notification  and  a hearing)  the  power  and  right 
to  withdraw  from  me  the  diploma  granted  by  them,  with  all  the  honors,  privileges 
and  immunities  pertaining  thereto.  In  confirmation  of  which  I hereunto  affix  my 
name.” 

In  1855  Elkanah  Williams,  the  great  eye-surgeon,  opened  an  ophthal- 
mologic clinic  in  connection  with  the  college.  It  was  the  second  clinic  of  this 
character  on  this  side  of  the  Alleghenies,  the  first  one  having  been  conducted 
by  Daniel  Drake  and  Willard  Parker  in  conjunction  with  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Cincinnati  College  (1835-M9).  A noteworthy  event  of  the 
year  1856  was  the  appearance  of  Alexis  St.  Martin  before  the  class  of  the 
Miami  Medical  College.  The  man  was  the  famous  subject  through  whom 
Dr.  Wm.  Beaumont  made  his  gastrological  investigations.  The  man  was  at 
that  time  fifty-three  years  old  and  was  the  father  of  seventeen  children.  He 
was  presented  to  the  class  by  Doctor  Bunting,  of  Montreal,  June  13,  1856. 
Many  physicians  were  present.  Doctor  Bunting  read  an  account  of  his  case, 
and  exhibited  the  opening,  together  with  some  experiments.  He  introduced  a 
thermometer  bulb  into  the  stomach,  showing  a temperature  of  100°  Fahr. 
A glass  tube  was  introduced  and  a small  quantity  of  chyle  was  withdrawn. 
St.  Martin  drank  a tumbler  or  two  of  water,  which  he  ejected  through  the 
orifice  by  a simple  contraction  of  the  abdominal  muscles.  R.  D.  Mussey  Vv^as 
an  interested  spectator.  He  was  not  satisfied  to  see  and  smell  the  excretion 
from  the  man’s  stomach  but  insisted  upon  tasting  it. 

That  the  relations  of  the  two  rival  colleges  were  by  no  means  amicable, 
can  be  readily  imagined.  The  principal  bone  of  contention  was,  of  course, 
the  Commercial  Hospital  where  the  students  of  the  Miami  College  received 
their  clinical  instruction  from  the  Ohio  professors.  This  was  a source  of 
great  annoyance  to  the  Miami  teachers.  By  political  machinations  and  com- 
binations, by  appeal  to  the  township  trustees  and  to  the  Legislature  the  at- 
tempt was  made  to  change  the  law  which  gave  the  Ohio  College  absolute 
control  of  the  Commercial  Hospital.  Worn  out  by  the  long-continued  strife, 
the  Ohio  trustees  suggested  to  combine  the ' two  colleges  and  in  this  way 
give  the  ambitious  men  in  the  Miami  faculty  a chance  in  the  Commercial 


322 


Hospital.  At  first  the  proposition  was  met  with  derision.  Within  a year 
after  it  had  been  made,  the  matter  was  seriously  discussed  by  the  Miami 
men.  Some  of  them  were  disposed  to  consider  the  proposition  while  others 
were  opposed  to  it.  Two  factors  finally  facilitated  the  merger  of  the  two 
schools.  One  was  the  desire  of  the  most  distinguished  Miami  professor  to 
retire  from  active  work  and  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in  peace  and  comfort. 
Mussey  was  aging  rapidly,  and  his  retirement  or  death  was  only  a question 
of  time.  Without  him  the  outlook  for  the  school  was  gloomy.  Then  there 
was  A.  H.  Baker,  the  common  enemy  of  both  schools.  His  threat  to  make  a 
free  school  out  of  the  “Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery”  hastened 
the  outcome  of  the  negotiations.  A re-organization  of  the  Ohio  faculty  re- 
sulted in  the  election  of  four  Miami  professors,  Judkins,  Comegys,  Foote  and 
Mendenhall,  to  the  chairs  of  descriptive  anatomy,  physiology,  chemistry,  and 
obstetrics,  including  diseases  of  women  and  children.  The  previous  incum- 
bents, Tate,  Armor,  Warder  and  Marshall,  retired.  Marshall  was  in  ill 
health,  Warder  had  repeatedly  asked  to  be  relieved,  Tate  resigned  because 
he  failed  in  getting  the  chair  to  which  Mendenhall  was  elected.  Armor  left 
because  he  had  secured  a more  desirable  appointment  elsewhere.  Thus,  the 
Miami  Medical  College  after  five  years  of  vigorous  existence  gave  up  its 
identity  and  was  absorbed  by  its  rival.  Within  two  months  after  the  Miami 
College  had  abandoned  its  home  on  Fifth  Street  and  Western  Row,  a Dancing 
Academy  was  in  full  swing  where  once  the  intricacies  of  medical  and  sur- 
gical lore  had  been  expounded,  and  a cheap  restaurant  was  in  operation 
where,  but  a few  months  before,  the  forced  contributions  of  neighboring 
graveyards  had  aided  the  student  in  his  analysis  of  the  machinery  that  is  so 
fearfully  and  so  wonderfully  built.  Tenipora  mutanttir! 

From  1857  to  1865  the  history  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  is  that  of 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 

The  men  who  founded  the  Miami  Medical  College  were  among  the  ablest 
members  of  the  profession.  They  were  amply  capable  of  coping  with  their 
rivals  in  the  Ohio  school  and  possessed  the  esprit  de  corps  that  was  absent 
in  the  Ohio  College.  R.  D.  Mussey  started  his  career  in  Cincinnati  as  a 
professor  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  to  which  he  gave  more  than  twice 
the  number  of  years  of  service  which  he  spent  in  the  corresponding  chair  in 
the  Miami  Medical  College.  It  is  right,  therefore,  that  a sketch  of  this 
remarkable  man  should  have  been  given  in  a chapter  devoted  to  the  Ohio 
College.  To  the  latter  he  gave  not  only  longer,  but  better  service.  While 
in  the  surgical  chair  of  the  Ohio  College,  he  was  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his 
great  powers  as  a surgeon  and  teacher.  To  the  Miami  College  he  gave  his 
great  name,  although  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  was  not  the  Mussey  of  old. 
The  other  founders  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  were  mostly  young  men, 
some  of  whom  like  Avery,  Davis,  etc.,  had  received  their  early  training  as 
teachers  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 


323 


JESSE  P.  JUDKINS,  brilliant  anatomist,  immensely  popular  teacher, 
quaint  and  original  character,  was  born  in  1815  in  Mt.  Pleasant,  Jefferson 
County,  Ohio.  He  received  his  collegiate  education  in  Canonsburg,  Pa.,  and 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  dividing  his  time  between  his  classical  studies  and  be- 
coming an  adept  in  engineering  and  other  technical  pursuits.  His  father  and 
several  of  his  relatives  being  physicians,  it  was  but  natural  that  young  Jesse 
should  have  turned  his  attention  to  medicine  at  an  early  age.  He  matriculated 
at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1836,  graduated  in  1838,  became  demon- 
strator of  anatomy  in  1839  under  Shotwell,  retaining  this  position  for  five 
years.  He  gave  private  courses  in  anatomy  for  a number  of  years.  In  1847 
he  was  elected  professor  of  anatomy  at  Starling  Medical  College,  Columbus, 
Ohio,  and  remained  in  the  latter  city  until  1852  when  the  Miami  Medical 
College  was  organized  and  Judkins  made  professor  of  surgical  anatomy  and 
pathology.  A student  at  Starling  College  during  Judkins’  incumbency  of 
the  chair  of  anatomy  was  Thad.  A.  Reamy,  afterwards  a distinguished  med- 
ical teacher  in  Cincinnati,  who  remem.bered  Judkins  as  a most  eloquent  and 
enthusiastic  lecturer.  The  year  1853  Judkins  spent  in  Europe.  He  taught 
surgical  anatomy  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  until  1857  when  the  con- 
solidation of  the  Ohio  and  Miami  Colleges  took  place.  Judkins  became  pro- 
fessor of  descriptive  anatomy  in  the  new  school.  In  1861  he  resigned  and 
devoted  himself  to  his  extensive  practice.  In  1863  he  fell  and  injured  his 
right  foot.  He  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  weeks  and  hardly  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  his  injury  when,  in  January,  1864,  his  brother  Robert,  a physi- 
cian in  Highland  County,  Ohio,  to  whom  he  was  deeply  attached,  died.  Jesse 
Judkins  never  recovered  from  the  shock.  He  grew  melancholy  and  morose, 
which  was  all  the  more  noticeable  in  view  of  the  buoyant  and  happy  disposi- 
tion for  which  he  had  always  been  noted.  He  assisted  in  the  re-organization 
of  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1865.  He  was  only  the  semblance  of  his 
former  self  when  he  was  induced,  in  the  Summer  of  1867,  to  seek  rest  in 
Mackinaw.  He  returned  to  Cincinnati  in  September,  1867,  a hopeless  in- 
valid and  died  within  three  months.  Judkins,  jolly,  clever  and  thoroughly 
unconventional,  was  a unique  figure  in  the  medical  profession  of  the  city. 
He  had  an  enormous  following  among  the  laity  and  was  equally  popular 
with  physicians  and  students.  Erom  1848  to  1859  he  shared  offices  with 
Oliver  M.  Langdon,  the  distinguished  neurologist. 

Jesse  P.  Judkins  was  the  most  prominent  member  of  a family  of  physi- 
cians. His  half-brother  William,  was  born  in  Guilford  County,  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1788,  and  began  to  practice  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  in  1811. 
Twenty  years  later  he  removed  to  Cincinnati  where  he  died  in  1861.  He 
was  an  exemplary  man,  a skillful  surgeon  and  a good  all-around  physician 
who  was  enthusiastically  devoted  to  his  profession  up  to  the  very  moment 
of  his  death.  He  was  known  as  the  “quaker-doctor”  because  he  conformed 
to  the  dress  and  language  of  the  Quakers  all  his  life.  He  was  a Doctor 
Medicinse  honoris  causa  (Transylvania  University). 


324 


William  Judkins  had  three  sons  who  became  members  of  the  profession. 
The  oldest  one  of  the  three  was  David  Judkins  who  was  born  in  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Ohio,  in  1817  and  was,  therefore,  only  two  years  younger  than 
his  uncle  Jesse.  David  Judkins  attended  Woodward  College,  and  the  old 
Cincinnati  College,  graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1842  and 
served  as  resident  physician  in  the  Commercial  Hospital.  He  died  in  1893. 
During  his  long  and  active  professional  life  he  was  at  all  times  prominently 
identified  with  the  profession.  For  thirty  years  he  served  on  the  staff  of 
the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  When  he  died,  he  was  president  of  its  board  of 
trustees.  During  the  Civil  War  he  had  charge  of  military  relief  stations  in 
Cincinnati  and  Vicksburg.  The  other  two  sons  of  William  Judkins  were 
C.  P.  and  William  who  were  well-known  and  highly  respected  members  of 
the  local  profession.  C.  P.  Judkins  died  in  1900,  Wm.  Judkins  in  1906. 

CHARLES  L.  AVERY  was  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  city 
when  he  was  asked  to  help  in  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 
lege. He  was  a descendant  of  distinguished  ancestry  on  both  sides.  His 
father  was  a leading  public  man,  his  mother  was  a L’Hommedieu  and  be- 
longed to  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  Charles  L.  Avery 
was  born  in  1816  and  had  the  best  advantages  of  education  and  travel.  He 
graduated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1836  and  located  in  Cincinnati. 
In  1844  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  his  Alma  Mater,  but 
resigned  at  the  end  of  the  term.  His  successor  was  John  Davis.  In  1852 
he  assumed  the  chair  of  anatomy  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  and  achieved 
a vast  reputation  as  a teacher.  In  1858  the  unfortunate  man  was  stricken 
with  paralysis  which  eventually  made  a helpless  invalid  out  of  him  while 
his  mind  remained  unimpaired.  He  spent  several  years  on  his  back,  a’  living 
corpse.  He  was  relieved  by  death  in  1867. 

JOHN  DAVIS  was  born  on  a farm  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  in  1821. 
His  parents  were  Welsh  people  who  had  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1818. 
Young  Davis  was  sent  to  Cincinnati  to  attend  Woodward  College.  He 
studied  medicine  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  graduated  in  1843,  served 
one  year  as  an  interne  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  and  opened  an  office  on 
Vine  Street  near  Twelfth,  where  the  City  Dispensary,  conducted  by  Drs. 
Mendenhall,  Vattier  and  others,  was  located.  He  became  demonstrator  of 
anatomy  in  his  Alma  Mater  in  1846,  resigning  in  1852  to  become  demon- 
strator of  anatomy  in  the  newly  founded  Miami  Medical  College.  Chas.  L. 
Avery  who  held  the  chair  of  anatomy,  resigned  in  1855,  and  John  Davis 
became  his  successor.  When  the  consolidation  of  the  two  colleges  took 
place,  two  years  later,  his  connection  with  the  teaching  staff  of  the  college 
ceased.  He,  however,  retained  his  position  as  a clinical  teacher  in  the  Com- 
mercial, afterwards  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  He  was  in  1867  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Union  Central  Life  Insurance  Company  and  devoted  much 


325 


John  F.  Whitk 


John  A.  Murphy 


John  Davis 


George  Mendenhaee 


Jesse  P.  Judkins 


326 


Chas.  L.  Avery 


of  his  time  and  labor  to  insurance  matters.  He  was  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  school  board  and  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  University 
of  Cincinnati.  He  died  in  1890. 

JOHN  F.  WHITE,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Miami  Medical  College 
and  its  first  professor  of  practice,  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1813.  He  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  at  Amherst  College  and  his  medical  training 
at  Jefferson  Medical  College.  In  1835  he  left  Philadelphia  to  become  a 
surgeon  on  board  of  an  East  India  merchant  vessel.  After  a few  years  he 
returned  and  spent  a year  in  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  in  the  capacity  of 
house  physician.  He  finally,  in  1844,  came  to  Cincinnati  and  entered  pri- 
vate practice.  In  1852  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Medical 
College.  The  first  faculty  meeting  was  held  in  his  office  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Race  Streets,  July  22,  1852.  He  assumed  the  chair 
of  practice  and  held  it  until  the  consolidation  of  the  two  colleges  in  1857. 
White  was  not  an  eloquent  lecturer,  but  a thoroughly  faithful  and  effective 
teacher.  As  a member  of  the  medical  staff  of  the  Commercial  Hospital  his 
work  was  of  the  highest  order.  His  clinical  lectures  were  well  received  by 
the  students.  White  died  in  1881,  having  several  years  previously  retired 
from  active  practice. 

GEORGE  MENDENITALL  was  a scion  of  an  old  Quaker  family  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  Sharon,  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania,  but 
grew  up  in  Fairfield,  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  where  his  parents  had  set- 
tled when  he  was  but  a few  years  old.  It  is  worthy  of  comment  that  Co- 
lumbiana County,  Ohio,  has  given  to  Cincinnati  some  of  its  most  eminent 
medical  men,  such  as  Graham,  Fries  and  others.  Young  Mendenhall  was 
fourteen  years  old  when  his  father  died.  Mr.  Mendenhall,  Sr.,  was  a well- 
informed  man  who  had  given  his  talented  son  much  attention  and  time  so 
that  in  point  of  education  young  Mendenhall  was  much  farther  advanced 
than  the  boys  of  the  village  who,  like  him,  had  attended  the  village  school. 
The  boy  was  of  frail  build  and  not  fitted  for  any  kind  of  occupation  that 
would  require  much  physical  effort.  After  his  father’s  death  he  found  em- 
ployment in  a general  store  where  drugs  were  handled.  The  latter  fact 
aroused  his  interest  in  medicine  and  he  devoted  much  time  to  reading  chem- 
ical and  pharmaceutical  publications.  He  finally  made  up  his  mind  to  be- 
come a physician  and  took  up  the  study  of  Latin,  continuing  it  until  he  had 
reached  quite  a respectable  degree  of  proficiency.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  the  office  of  a physician  in  Salem,  Ohio,  as  student  apprentice  and 
prepared  himself  for  a regular  course  in  medicine  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania where  he  finally  received  his  degree  in  1835.  He  located  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  remained  eight  years,-  returning  to  Philadelphia  for  the 
Winter  (1837-’38)  when  an  interneship  in  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  was  of- 
fered to  him.  While  he  was  a resident  of  Cleveland,  he  took  a lively  interest 


327 


in  public  affairs  and  served  for  three  terms  as  a member  of  the  City  Council 
of  Cleveland.  He  probably  felt  that  a political  career  in  Cleveland  would 
not  offer  the  chances  for  advancement  in  his  profession  which  he  so  much 
desired,  and  decided  to  make  a change.  He  knew  of  a number  of  young  men 
in  Cincinnati  who  had  located  there  without  money  or  friends  and  yet  were 
doing  well,  and  he  decided  to  follow  their  example.  He  came  to  Cincinnati 
in  1843.  Among  his  earliest  acquaintances  in  Cincinnati  were  Drs.  Vattier 
and  Warder,  the  former  an  energetic  man  of  diversified  interests,  the  latter  a 
successful  practitioner  and  a scientist  of  note.  These  men  and  others  of 
similar  caliber  constituted  the  attending  staff  of  a public  clinic  known  as  the 
City  Dispensary.  Mendenhall  became  associated  with  them  in  the  conduct 
of  it  and  subsequently  also  of  a Summer  school  of  clinical  medicine  mod- 
elled after  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Institute  founded  by  Nathaniel  Chap- 
man and  patronized  by  physicians  who  wanted  to  spend  a week  in  the 
Summer  brushing  up  and  doing  some  post-graduate  work.  This  Summer 
school  in  Cincinnati  was  quite  successful  for  a number  of  years.  Menden- 
hall was  by  this  time  a very  busy  physician  with  a lucrative  practice  and  an 
ever-increasing  enthusiasm  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  work  of  his  pro- 
fession. In  1850  he  became  associated  in  the  editorial  management  of  the 
“Western  Lancet,”  and  continued  in  journalistic  work  for  two  years.  When 
out  of  the  soil  of  malcontent  a new  medical  school,  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 
lege, sprang  into  existence  in  1852,  Mendenhall  became  one  of  its  chief 
promoters  and  its  professor  of  obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women  and  chil- 
dren. In  1857,  after  the  consolidation  of  the  two  colleges,  he  held  the  same 
chair  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  That  the  mixture  of  the  Ohio  and 
Miami  elements  did  not  form  a homogeneous  mass,  was  soon  to  be  seen. 
The  old  Ohio  contingent,  led  by  the  intrepid  Blackman,  was  slowly  gaining 
the  upper  hand  and  making  things  very  uncomfortable  for  the  men  who  had 
been  professors  in  the  Miami  school.  The  wrangling  in  the  faculty  and  in 
the  board  of  trustees  led  to  the  climax  of  1860  which  culminated  in  the 
exodus  of  all  the  trustees  and  nearly  all  the  professors,  including  the  entire 
Miami  contingent.  Mendenhall  resigned  and  devoted  himself  to  his  con- 
stantly growing  practice.  During  the  sixties  he  was  second  to  none  in  the 
extent  of  his  obstetrical  work.  In  1865  when  the  Miami  Medical  College  was 
reorganized,  Mendenhall  became  its  dean  and  the  incumbent  of  the  obstet- 
rical chair.  He  reached  the  climax  of  his  professional  career  in  1869  when, 
at  its  meeting  in  New  Orleans,  the  American  Medical  Association  elected  him 
president  for  the  meeting  (1870)  in  Washington.  At  the  New  Orleans  meet- 
ing in  1869  he  was  the  American  Medical  Association’s  first  vice-president. 
In  1872  he  went  to  Europe  to  recover  his  health  which  had  been  failing. 
He  was  received  with  much  courtesy  by  the  London  Obstetrical  Society  and 
made  one  of  its  Fellows.  He  returned  to  Cincinnati  in  1873  and  died  the 
following  year  of  paralysis.  Mendenhall  was  very  popular  with  the  pro- 
fession. He  was  a well-meaning,  kind-hearted  man,  thoroughly  imbued  with 


328 


the  ideals  of  the  profession.  That  the  rivalry  of  the  two  colleges  involved 
the  individual  relations  of  their  professors  and  re-acted  on  the  professional 
and  even  the  private  life  of  the  latter,  was  the  circumstance  that  embittered 
many  years  of  Mendenhall’s  life.  His  loyalty  to  the  cause  of  the  Miami 
College  made  him  the  target  of  much  abuse  and  enmity  on  the  part  of  quite  a 
few  prominent  men  in  the  profession.  That  in  the  heat  of  argument  and 
warfare  many  regrettable  things  were  said  and  done  by  all  concerned,  was 
an  unavoidable  feature  of  the  situation.  Mendenhall  wrote  but  little.  His 
reputation  rested  on  his  general  usefulness  as  a representative  physician  and 
as  a popular  clinical  teacher  of  midwifery.  His  literary  efiforts  are  referred 
to  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  book. 

JOHN  A.  MURPHY  was  born  in  Hawkins  County,  East  Tennessee,  in 
1824.  He  attended  the  literary  department  of  the  old  Cincinnati  College,  and 
in  1843  entered  the  office  of  John  P.  Harrison  as  a student  of  medicine.  He 
attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  graduated  in  1846.  He  served 
one  year  as  interne  in  the  Commercial  Hospital  and  began  to  practice  in 
1848.  He  participated  in  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  in 
1852  and  became  its  first  professor  of  materia  medica  and  forensic  medicine. 
He  went  to  Paris  and  London  in  1853.  In  1857,  after  the  consolidation  of 
the  Miami  and  Ohio  Colleges,  he  assumed  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in 
the  new  Ohio  College.  During  the  war  he  was  attached  to  the  United  States 
Military  Hospital  on  Third  Street,  and  also  examined  recruits  in  the  Second 
Congressional  District  of  Ohio.  The  position  of  medical  examiner  at  that 
time  was  not  a particularly  desirable  one  on  account  of  the  odium  of  bribery 
which  attached  to  the  office.  After  the  war  Murphy  took  an  active  part  in 
the  re-organization  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  and  assumed  the  chair  of 
practice  which  he  held  until  1881.  From  1881  to  1890  he  taught  clinical 
medicine.  He  retired  in  1890  owing  to  greatly  impaired  health.  He  died 
in  1900.  Murphy  was  one  of  the  founders  and  associate  editors  of  the  “Med- 
ical Observer.”  After  the  union  of  the  “Observer”  with  the  “Western 
Lancet”  Murphy  became  one  of  the  editors  of  the  new  journal. 

Murphy  will  always  be  remembered  as  the  most  persistent  and  loyal 
champion  of  the  cause  of  the  Miami  College.  The  welfare  of  the  latter 
was  the  one  passion  of  his  life.  He  loved  the  Miami  College  just  as  John 
Locke  had  loved  the  Ohio  school.  In  advocating  and  defending  the  interests 
of  the  Miami  College  he  was  intensely  aggressive  and  uncompromising.  He 
was  naturally  of  an  irritable  and  belligerent  disposition,  largely  due  to  a 
physical  ailment  which  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  caused  him  much  dis- 
tress and  suflfering.  He  was  for  years  a member  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital 
staff  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  a member  of  its  board  of  directors.  As  a 
practitioner  he  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  successful  members 
of  the  profession.  He  was  a natural-born  organizer  and  in  this  way  became 
one  of  the  earliest  and  most  active  champions  of  organization  in  the  pro- 


329 


fession.  He  was  always  prominently  identified  with  the  doings  of  medical 
societies  and,  nearly  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  a regular  attendant  at  the 
meetings  and  participant  in  the  doings  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine.  He 
was  by  nature  a man  of  affairs,  full  of  action  and  initiative.  Much  of  the 
success  of  the  Miami  College  is  due  to  his  loyal  and  energetic  management. 

CORNELIUS  G.  COMEGYS  was  born  at  Cherburg  (near  Dover),  Kent 
County,  Delaware,  July  23,  1816.  He  attended  Dover  Academy  where  he 
received  a splendid  classical  education.  Contrary  to  the  wishes  of  his  family 
he  did  not  choose  a professional  career,  but  left  home  to  see  the  country 
and  finally  became  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Indiana.  His  father, 
who  had  risen  to  great  prominence  as  a politician  in  his  native  State,  being 
elected  Governor  of  Delaware  in  1839,  persuaded  the  son  to  return  East  and 
continue  his  studies.  Young  Comegys  had  in  1839  married  a daughter  of 


C.  G.  Comegys 


Governor  Tiffin,  of  Ohio,  and  with  her  returned  East.  Perchance  he  visited 
Philadelphia  in  1845  and  had  the  good  fortune  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
William  Edmonds  Horner,  who  was  a power  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  considered  the  prince  of  American 
anatomists.  Gross  categorically  states  that  Horner  is  the  most  accomplished 
anatomist  our  country  has  produced.  This  learned  and  famous  man  had  an 
almost  hypnotic  influence  over  young  Comegys  who  at  once  decided  to  study 
medicine  under  the  direction  of  this  great  master.  He  devoted  himself  to 
the  study  of  medicine  with  much  zeal  and  graduated  in  1848.  His  object 
was  to  remain  in  Philadelphia,  but  he  soon  realized  that  it  was  by  no  means 
easy  for  a beginner  to  gain  a foothold  in  the  home  town  of  his  Alma  Mater. 
He  had  seen  something  of  the  West  when  he  was  in  business,  and  finally 
decided  to  locate  in  Cincinnati,  at  that  time  a rising  town  offering  good 


330 


prospects  to  young  and  ambitious  men.  He  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1849  and 
practiced  here  for  two  years.  In  1851  he  went  abroad  for  study  and  observa- 
tion. Paris  was  at  that  time  the  Mecca  of  American  physicians.  Comegys 
also  visited  London.  In  1852  he  returned  to  America  and  accepted  the  chair 
of  anatomy  which  Dr.  A.  H.  Baker  offered  him  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery.  Things  did  not  suit  him  exactly  in  the  latter  insti- 
tution. When,  a few  months  later,  the  chair  of  the  institutes  of  medicine 
in  the  Miami  Medical  College  was  offered  to  him,  he  resigned  his  chair  in 
Baker’s  school  and  became  a member  of  the  Miami  Faculty.  In  1857  the 
Miami  College  was  consolidated  with  the  Ohio  College,  Comegys  becoming 
professor  of  the  institutes  of  medicine  in  the  combined  school.  When  in 
1860  all  the  professors  and  trustees  of  the  Ohio  College  resigned  and  left 
the  belligerent  Blackman  in  full  possession  of  the  field,  Comegys  whose  cold 
dignity  never  failed  to  arouse  Blackman’s  ire,  resigned  with  the  rest.  In 
1864  he  again  became  a member  of  the  Ohio  College  but  resigned  in  1868. 
Ill  health  was  the  alleged  cause  of  his  resignation.  That  things  did  not  run 
quite  as  smoothly  during  these  four  years  as  might  have  been  desirable, 
can  not  be  gainsaid.  Comegys  was  not  a man  that  made  friends  readily. 
He  meant  well  but  was  unyielding  in  the  face  of  opposition.  He  was  frig- 
idly courteous  and  dignified,  a man  of  strong  likes  and  dislikes,  rather  pre- 
cise and  exacting  in  his  dealings  with  others.  That  such  a man  should  have 
been  on  amiable  terms  with  the  moody  and  inflammable  Blackman,  the  giant 
of  the  faculty,  can  hardly  be  believed.  Comegys’s  nervous  system  suffered  a 
good  deal  under  the  continuous  pressure  and  eventually  threatened  to  col- 
lapse. He  resigned  and  devoted  himself  to  his  work  as  a member  of  the 
Cincinnati  Hospital  staff  with  renewed  vigor.  His  connection  with  the  staff 
of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  started  in  1857.  He  became  deeply  interested  in 
many  problems  of  public  interest  and  for  years  was  the  best  type  of  a public- 
spirited,  representative  citizen.  As  a member  of  the  board  of  education  he 
typified  that  disinterested  and  intelligent  appreciation  of  educational  sub- 
jects which  might  have  been  expected  from  a cultured  and  well-informed 
physician  such  as  he  was.  Next  to  its  actual  founder,  Charles  McMicken, 
the  University  of  Cincinnati  owes  more  to  Comegys  than  to  any  other  man. 
He  favored  and  championed  the  creation  of  a great  medical  school  in  con- 
junction with  the  university.  He  saw  a trend  of  ideas  and  paved  the  way 
for  things  that  were  inevitable.  He  realized  that  the  proprietary  school  in 
medicine  was  doomed  and  that  the  European  pattern  of  a university  medical 
school  would  be  the  American  medical  school  of  the  future.  He  took  a 
broad  view  of  the  range  of  activity  which  an  American  university  should 
properly  develop.  He  was  distinctly  a man  of  ideas,  unfortunately  three  or 
four  decades  ahead  of  his  time.  He  was  a fervent  champion  of  the  rights 
and  duties  of  the  profession,  and  was  an  indefatigable  advocate  of  represen- 
tation of  the  medical  profession  in  the  President’s  cabinet. 


331 


To  the  profession  he  gave  much  of  lasting  value.  His  translation  of 
Renouard’s  “History  of  Medicine”  was  a pretentious  effort  that  elicited  warm 
praise  in  this  country  and  England.  A meritorious  performance  was  his 
translation  of  Charcot’s  “Lectures  on  the  Pathological  Anatomy  of  the 
Nervous  System.”  He  wrote  many  short  papers  for  the  medical  journals. 
His  articles  on  the  pathology  and  treatment  of  phthisis  attracted  much  at- 
tention. A revolutionary  contribution  to  clinical  medicine  was  his  paper  on 

“Hydrotherapy  in  the  Treatment  of  Entero-colitis”  (1875).  Comegys  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine.  He  was  a 
Fellow  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Physicians.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  influential  members  of  the  profes- 
sion in  the  West.  He  died  in  1896. 


332 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  MIAMI  MEDICAL  COLLEGE. 

(1865—1908.) 

WHEN  in  1857  the  Ohio  and  Miami  Colleges  consolidated,  four 
Miami  professors  were  added  to  the  Ohio  faculty.  The  Miami 
College  ceased  to  exist.  The  following  year  four  more  men 
who  had  been  identified  with  the  Miami  cause,  became  teachers  in  the  Ohio 
College.  Thus,  eight  Miami  men  were  connected  with  the  old  Ohio  in  1859, 
to-wit:  Jesse  Judkins,  Geo.  Mendenhall,  H.  E.  Foote,  C.  G.  Comegys,  E.  B. 
Stevens,  B.  F.  Richardson,  J.  A.  Murphy  and  Wm.  Clendenin.  Two  ses- 
sions passed  in  comparative  peace.  In  1860  the  Miami  contingent  with  the 
exception  of  Judkins  withdrew,  leaving  the  great  thunderer,  Blackman,  in 
possession  of  the  field.  Judkins  followed  his  colleagues  the  subsequent 
year.  Thus,  the  Miami  College,  within  three  years  after  the  merger,  became 
nothing  more  than  an  historical  reminiscence.  Some  of  the  erstwhile  Miami 
teachers  enlisted  in  the  army,  while  others  pursued  the  noiseless  tenor  of  a 
general  practitioner’s  life.  That  some  of  them  had  become  victims  of  the 
‘"delusion”  which  Drake  refers  to,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  private  courses 
in  special  lines  of  work  were  given  by  them,  especially  at  St.  John’s  Hospital 
which  about  that  time  passed  into  the  exclusive  control  of  the  Miami  men. 

The  end  of  the  Civil  War  allowed  the  thoughts  of  men  to  drift  into  other 
than  military  channels.  The  suggestion  to  revive  the  old  Miami  was  received 
with  enthusiasm  by  the  friends  of  the  institution.  A faculty  was  organized 
in  1865  with  three  of  the  original  professors  (Judkins,  Murphy  and  Men- 
denhall) as  the  nucleus.  The  other  men  were  Wm.  Clendenin,  E.  Williams, 
Chandler  B.  Chapman,  E.  B.  Stevens,  Wm.  H.  Taylor,  B.  F.  Richardson, 
H.  E.  Foote  and  Wm.  H.  Mussey,  son  of  the  distinguished  R.  D.  Mussey. 
One  hundred  and  fifty-six  students  matriculated  for  the  first  course  to  be 
given  by  the  new  faculty.  The  home  of  the  revived  institution  was  the 
building  of  the  Ohio  Dental  College,  on  College  Street.  Encouraged  by  the 
success  of  the  new  venture,  the  professors  purchased  a large  lot  on  Twelfth 
Street  near  Plum,  and  erected  a building  upon  it  as  a permanent  home  for 
the  Miami  College.  The  new  building  was  formally  opened  in  1866  and  the 
college  entered  upon  a career  of  increasing  prosperity.  It  showed  its  strength 
when  it  successfully  assailed  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  the  Cincinnati 
Hospital  and  broke  up  the  monopoly  of  the  rival  school  as  early  as  1865. 


333 


The  Miami  College  grew  in  professional  favor  from  year  to  year.  In  1866 
twenty-six  graduates  received  their  diplomas,  in  1872  sixty-nine.  The  man- 
agement of  the  school  was  firm  and  vigorous  in  guarding  the  interests  of  the 
school  and  in  adapting  the  policy  of  the  latter  to  the  increasing  demands  of 
higher  medical  education.  The  man  at  the  helm  was  John  A.  Murphy,  erratic 
and  belligerent,  but  true  and  loyal  when  the  interests  of  his  college  were 
concerned.  A number  of  excellent  men  helped  to  give  character  and  tone 
to  the  institution.  Strangely  enough,  the  aetas  aiirea  of  the  Miami  College 


Miami  Medical  CoeleCxE  (1866-1909) 


was  synchronous  with  that  of  the  Ohio  school,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  their 
rivalry  was  by  no  means  amicable.  The  bitterness  of  their  competition  was  a 
bad  factor  in  the  medical  life  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  because  it  communicated 
itself  to  their  graduates  and  alumni  who  perpetuated  the  factional  strife 
beyond  the  college  portals,  not  infrequently  at  the  expense  of  the  fraternal 
feeling  which  is  the  mortar  of  the  professional  edifice.  In  1886  the  Miami 
College  tried  the  experiment  of  “affiliation”  with  the  University  of  Cincin- 
nati, but  soon  saw  the  absurdity  of  the  arrangement  and  discontinued  it.  A 
characteristic  feature  of  the  Miami  College  has  been  the  tranquil  life  which 
it  has  enjoyed  within  its  own  walls.  A splendid  esprit  de  corps  has  pre- 


334 


vailed  throughout.  The  Miami  College  was  never  a house  divided  against 
itself.  The  most  beautiful  evidence  thereof  is  the  veneration  which  all 
Miami  men  bear  towards  the  retired  professors,  the  men  who  were  the 
leaders  at  one  time,  but  after  a long  and  meritorious  service  left  the  active 
participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  school  to  younger  and  more  vigorous 
men.  These  retired  men  assume  a new  and  beautiful  position  of  authority, 
almost  patriarchal  in  character.  J.  C.  Mackenzie,  Wm.  H.  Taylor  and  the 
other  grand  old  men  of  the  Miami  College  are  still  the  leaders  of  the  school 
because  they  are  enthroned  on  an  imperishable  pedestal  erected  by  love  and 
gratitude.  There  is  no  Belisarius  among  them. 

The  incumbents  of  the  original  chairs  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  have 
been : 

Anatomy — Chas.  L.  Avery,  John  Davis,  H.  E.  Foote,  Wm.  Clendenin, 
F.  W.  Langdon,  Charles  E.  Caldwell,  J.  C.  Oliver,  W.  E.  Lewis. 

Physiology — C.  G.  Comegys,  Wm.  H.  Taylor,  J.  C.  Mackenzie,  Joseph 
Eichberg,  Oliver  P.  Holt,  Frank  H.  Lamb. 

Chemistry — John  Locke,  Jr.,  H.  E.  Foote,  C.  B.  Chapman,  S.  A.  Norton, 
J.  B.  Hough,  J.  F.  Judge,  Wm.  L.  Dudley,  Dan  Millikin,  Carl  Langenbeck, 
W.  Dickore,  F.  B.  Sampson.  C.  B.  Chapman  had  been  professor  of  chem- 
istry in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  was  a man  of 
means,  who  loved  science.  He  left  Cincinnati  about  1868  and  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life  in  ease  and  comfort  in  Iowa.  He  died  about  1880. 

Materia  medica — John  A.  Murphy,  E.  B.  Stevens,  Wm.  B.  Davis,  Dan 
Millikin,  E.  W.  Mitchell,  Julius  Eichberg. 

Practice — John  F.  White,  John  A.  Murphy,  J.  C.  Mackenzie,  Joseph  Eich- 
berg, Oliver  P.  Holt. 

Surgery — R.  D.  Mussey,  Wm.  H.  Mussey,  Wm.  Clendenin,  Thomas  H. 
Kearney,  N.  P.  Dandridge,  E.  W.  Walker,  Chas.  E.  Caldwell,  J.  C.  Oliver. 
Walker  (born  1853)  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1878, 
was  demonstrator  of  pathology  in  the  latter  institution  (1886)  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  surgery  and  pathology  in  the  Miami  Medical  College. 
Oliver  (born  1862)  graduated  from  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1885, 
became  professor  of  descriptive  anatomy  in  1896,  professor  of  surgery  in 
1901.  He  is  at  present  the  dean  of  the  institution. 

Obstetrics — George  Mendenhall,  Wm.  H.  Taylor,  Magnus  A.  Tate. 

Gynecology — George  Mendenhall,  B.  F.  Richardson,  Byron  Stanton,  Ru- 
fus B.  Hall. 

After  the  session  1908-’09  the  Miami  Medical  College  passes  out  of  ex- 
istence. Together  with  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  it  will  be  absorbed  by 
the  University  of  Cincinnati  as  the  latter’s  Medical  Department.  At  the 
termination  of  the  career  of  the  Miami  Medical  College  additional  chairs 
were  held  by  some  very  able  men.  Among  them  were  E.  W.  Mitchell 
(pediatrics),  J.  A.  Thompson  (laryngology  and  otology),  F.  W.  Langdon 
(neurology),  M.  A.  Brown  (physical  diagnosis),  E.  H.  Shields  (dermatology 


335 


and  genito-urinary  surgery),  J.  F.  Heady  (medical  economics),  C.  W.  Tange- 
man  (clinical  ophthalmology),  J.  W.  Murphy  (clinical  laryngology),  W.  D. 
Porter  (clinical  obstetrics),  W.  E.  Murphy  (clinical  otology  and  laryng- 
ology), J.  M.  Withrow  (clinical  gynecology)  and  G.  A.  Fackler  (clinical 
medicine).  The  latter  is  at  present  president  of  staff  of  the  Cincinnati  Hos- 
pital. John  M.  Withrow  as  a member  of  the  Cincinnati  Board  of  Educa- 
tion is  doing  very  meritorious  work  in  the  interests  of  the  public  schools  of 
Cincinnati. 

The  following  sketches  refer  to  the  men  who  were  conspicuous  in  the 
life  of  the  Miami  Medical  College. 


JOSEPH  BYRD  SMITH  was  born  in  New  York  in  1821.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1845  and  became  resident  physician 
of  the  Commercial  Hospital  for  one  year.  He  achieved  a vast  reputation 
as  an  obstetrician.  In  1860  he  was  appointed  on  the  staff  of  the  Commer- 
cial Hospital.  When  the  Miami  Medical  College  was  reorganized  after  the 
war,  he  was  elected  professor  of  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  pediatrics,  sharing 
the  chair  with  George  Mendenhall.  He  died  in  1865  before  he  had  a chance 
to  lecture  at  the  college.  B.  F.  Richardson  was  appointed  in  his  place.  J.  B. 
Smith  was  the  preceptor  of  Thomas  C.  Minor  when  the  latter  began  the 
study  of  medicine. 


HENRY  E.  FOOTE  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1825.  His  father  was 
John  P.  Foote,  one  of  the  most  public-spirited  citizens  Cincinnati  has  ever 
had,  author,  publisher,  patron  of  the  arts  and  sciences  and  trustee  of  the 
Ohio  College  for  many  years.  His  son  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
office  of  his  brother-in-law,  John  T.  Shotwell,  graduated  at  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio  in  1847,  served  the  Commercial  Hospital  as  resident  physician, 
but  resigned  before  the  end  of  his  term,  to  enter  the  medical  service  during 
the  Mexican  War.  After  a year’s  absence  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and 
began  to  practice.  The  chair  of  chemistry  in  the  newly  organized  Miami 
Medical  College  in  1852  was  given  to  the  son  of  the  distinguished  John 
Locke.  After  one  session  Henry  E.  Foote  was  appointed  in  his  place.  When 
the  Miami  and  Ohio  Colleges  consolidated  in  1857  Foote  became  professor 
of  chemistry.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  appointed  surgeon 
of  the  13th  Missouri  Regiment,  subsequently  known  as  the  22nd  Ohio.  At 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  the  Miami  College  was  reorganized,  Foote  as- 
sumed the  chair  of  anatomy.  In  1869  he  took  the  chair  of  surgery  and 
special  pathology.  For  a time  he  was  one  of  the  physicians  at  the  Longview 
Asylum.  Foote  was  a good  operating  surgeon  and  a very  popular  teacher. 
He  died  of  tuberculosis  in  1871. 


336 


WILLIAM  HEBERDEN  MUSSEY,  son  of  the  distinguished  Reuben 
D.  Mussey,  was  born  in  Hanover,  N.  H.,  September  30,  1818.  In  his  youth 
he  was  frail  in  body  and  slow  and  heavy  in  mind.  His  father  decided  that 
the  boy  should  become  a business  man  for  which  he  seemed  to  have  some 
aptitude.  He  was  conscientious  and  dutiful  and  rather  practical  in  his  ways 
of  thinking.  Thus  it  was  that,  after  getting  nothing  more  than  an  ele- 
mentary education,  he  became  a clerk  in  a general  store  in  Francestown, 
N.  H.,  later  on  occupying  similar  positions  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  in  Boston, 
Mass.  The  work  seemed  to  agree  with  him.  His  health  improved  and,  when 
hardly  twenty  years  of  age,  he  had  achieved  a reputation  as  a level-headed 
and  shrewd  business  man.  When  in  1838  his  father  moved  to  Cincinnati  to 
become  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  William  de- 
cided to  accompany  his  father.  In  1842  William,  then  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  opened  a dry  goods  store  in  Cincinnati.  He  was  then  a well-developed 
and  healthy  young  man  who,  at  his  father’s  behest,  would  often  appear 
before  the  medical  class  to  illustrate  the  beneficent  effects  of  a vegetarian 
regime.  R.  D.  Mussey  was  a practical  vegetarian  who  attributed  his  son’s 
splendid  development  to  the  fact  that  the  weak  and  puny  infant  and  boy  had 
never  tasted  meat,  coffee  or  alcohol. 

The  remarkable  physical  transformation  was  followed  by  a peculiar  men- 
tal change.  The  successful  dry  goods  merchant  began  to  take  an  interest  in 
medicine,  and  in  1845  began  to  study  medicine  in  his  father’s  office,  gradu- 
ating in  1848  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  medical  instinct  was 
probably  inborn  in  him.  His  father  was  a doctor  and  a doctor’s  son.  His 
mother’s  father  was  also  a physician.  Wm.  H.  Mussey  became  his  father’s 
associate  for  three  years.  In  1851  he  went  to  Europe  and  joined  other  Cin- 
cinnatians in  Paris  who  afterwards  became  distinguished  members  of  the 
profession,  especially  E.  Williams,  J.  A.  Murphy  and  C.  G.  Comegys.  In 
1853  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  to  his  practice.  In  1855  he  became  sur- 
geon to  St.  John’s  Hospital.  In  1864  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  Com- 
mercial (Cincinnati)  Hospital,  and,  in  the  same  year,  elected  vice-president 
of  the  American  Medical  Association.  In  1865  he  assumed  the  chair  of 
surgery  in  the  Miami  Medical  College.  In  1872  when  the  trustees  of  the 
Cincinnati  Hospital  adopted  a resolution  that  no  teacher  in  a medical  college 
could  belong  to  the  medical  staff  of  the  hospital,  he  showed  his  loyalty  to 
the  Miami  College  by  resigning  from  the  hospital.  Subsequently  the  resolution 
was  rescinded  and  Mussey  was  re-instated.  He  held  the  positions  at  the  col- 
lege and  at  the  hospital  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  August  1,  1882.  For 
many  years  Mussey  was  associated  in  practice  with  his  friend  William 
Clendenin. 

Wm.  Mussey  was  neither  a fluent  speaker  nor  a polished  writer.  He  was 
an  exponent  of  the  practical  side  of  surgery  and  did  his  most  effective  teach- 
ing by  his  work  in  the  operating  room  and  at  the  bedside.  His  whole  life 
long  he  was  at  a disadvantage  because  he  happened  to  be  the  son,,  of  an 


337 


illustrious  man,  whose  remarkable  achievements  as  a surgeon  were  of  very 
recent  date.  That  Wm.  H.  Mussey  never  became  the  equal  of  R.  D.  Mussey 
as  a surgeon,  is  admitted  on  all  sides.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,,  that,  in 
point  of  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  duty  and  earnestness  of  purpose  in  all 
his  work,  Wm.  H.  Mussey  was  a worthy  son  of  his  father.  Like  the  latter 
he  was  a thoroughly  good  man  and  a gentleman  of  truest  heart  culture.  In- 
cidentally he  had  a fine  sense  of  humor  and  a ready  gift  of  repartee  which 
his  father  lacked.  It  is  said  that  one  day  Wm.  H.  Mussey  was  performing  a 
rather  bloody  operation  when  a friend  of  the  patient,  a buxom  young  woman, 
entered  the  operating  room  and  was  horrified  at  the  appearance  of  things. 
‘T  would  never  be  a surgeon  I”  she  exclaimed,  whereupon  Doctor  Mussey 
quietly  remarked : ‘T  suppose,  you  would  greatly  prefer  to  become  a sur- 
geon’s mate.” 

Mussey’s  fervent  patriotism  and  unfaltering  loyalty  to  the  cause  of  the 
Union  are  matters  of  historical  record.  On  April  19,  1861,  the  memorable 
day  when  the  Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment  was  mobbed  in  Baltimore,  Mus- 
sey wrote  to  Salmon  P.  Chase  for  permission  to  fit  up  the  deserted  Marine 
Hospital  in  Cincinnati  for  the  use  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.  Chase 
granted  the  request  on  condition  that  “no  expense  should  be  incurred  on  the 
part  of  the  Government.”  Assisted  by  a few  men  and  women  of  means, 
Mussey  offered  to  serve  his  country  without  pay  during  the  continuance  of 
the  struggle.  There  being  no  provision  for  this  kind  of  gratuitous  service, 
the  Government  declined  the  offer  but  appoiated  him  Brigade  Surgeon  of 
Volunteers.  He  served  under  Gen.  Ormsby  M.  Mitchell  on  the  medical  staff 
of  the  Military  Hospital  at  Cincinnati,  under  General  Nelson  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Ohio,  under  Gen.  T.  J.  Wood  during  the  Shiloh  and  Corinth  cam- 
paigns, and  under  Gen.  J.  T.  Wilder  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 

The  first  meeting  of  Doctor  Mussey  and  General  Nelson,  when  the  former, 
having  been  assigned  to  the  division  commanded  by  the  latter,  reported  to 
Nelson,  was  characteristic  of  both  men.  Mussey  was  not  the  surgeon  whom 
Nelson  had  expected.  When  Mussey  reported  to  Nelson,  the  latter  gave 
vent  to  his  displeasure  in  a flood  of  profanity.  Mussey  replied  that  he  was 
reporting  under  orders  of  General  Buell,  who  was  the  commander  of  both 
himself  and  Nelson.  Nelson  continued  to  grumble  and  swear.  Thereupon 
Mussey  said : “General,  I have  reported  to  you  under  orders.  Do  you  decline 
to  receive  me  in  obedience  to  these  orders?”  Nelson’s  bullying  ceased  at 
once,  and  from  that  time  Nelson  was  always  respectful  to  him.  Nelson’s 
troops  were  raw  and  Mussey  had  his  hands  full,  teaching  them  the  ele- 
mentary rules  of  military  hygiene.  In  this  labor  he  more  than  once  reproved 
ignorant  and  careless  commanding  officers  for  their  neglect  of  men,  with  a 
firmness  which  admitted  of  no  evasion  and  a temperance  of  language  which 
admitted  of  no  severity  of  reply. 

Mussey  served  under  Gen.  O.  M.  Mitchell  (founder  of  the  Cincinnati 
Observatory),  who  became  warmly  attached  to  him.  On  June  14,  1862, 

338 


Miissey  was  made  a Medical  Inspector  of  the  United  States  Army  with  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant  Colonel.  In  this  capacity  he  served,  under  Gen.  Q.  A. 
Gilmore,  until  July,  1863.  For  a time  he  was  on  duty  in  Washington,  and 
after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  had  charge  of  a depot  of  14,000  wounded  men 
at  Baltimore.  After  further  service  as  Medical  Inspector  in  the  Department 
of  West  Virginia,  under  Gen.  B.  F.  Kelley,  his  health  being  enfeebled  as  the 
result  of  exposure,  hard  work,  and  the  effects  of  an  overdose  of  morphine, 
taken  by  mistake  for  quinine,  Doctor  Mussey  resigned  his  commission  in 
December,  1863,  and  his  resignation  went  into  effect  January  1,  1864. 

During  the  entire  time  of  service  Mussey  had  the  respect  of  his  superior 
officers  and  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  men  under  him.  The  annals  of 
the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  from  which  the  greater  part  of 
this  sketch  of  Mussey’s  life  is  taken,  contain  a letter  written  by  Gen.  J.  T. 
Wilder  to  Edward  M.  Hartwell,  Mussey’s  biographer.  The  letter  reads  as 
follows : 

“No  one  knew  Wm.  H.  Mussey  better  than  I did  in  the  Winter  of  1861-’62.  He 
was  the  Medical  Director  of  Nelson’s  Division  at  Camp  Wickliffe,  Kentucky,  a sickly 
and  badly  located  camp  of  instruction  and  drill  for  a portion  of  Buell’s  army.  Most 
of  the  men  were  raw  recruits ; the  hospitals  were  overcrowded ; the  funeral  march  was 
being  played  in  almost  all  hours  of  daylight.  My  regiment,  the  Seventeenth  Indiana, 
having  been  through  the  campaign  of  ’61  in  West  Virginia,  was  looked  upon  as  being 
the  veterans,  and  were  constantly  on  duty  drilling  and  scouting.  I was  taken  down, 
while  on  a scout,  and  lay,  seven  miles  from  camp,  very  ill,  when,  one  night,  at  eleven 
o’clock  Doctor  Mussey  came  into  my  room,  through  the  wind  and  rain  of  a sleety 
January  thaw,  and  carefully  and  kindly  examined  me.  ‘You  are  pretty  sick,’  he  said;  ‘I 
must  look  after  you  myself.’  I had  gastritis,  accompanied  by  camp  diarrhoea,  com- 
plicated by  severe  pneumonia,  the  doctor  said.  All  that  night  the  doctor  watched  me; 
at  daylight  he  left  to  look  after  the  hospitals.  He  came  to  my  side  every  night,  through 
the  mud,  rain  and  sleet,  tireless  and  sleepless,  for  three  successive  nights,  until  he 
effected  a change  in  my  case  and  saved  my  life.  When  I was  strong  enough  to  talk,  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  send  an  assistant,  rather  than  wear  himself  out  by  such 
constant  extra  duty,  that  was  not  required  of  him.  His  answer  was;  ‘Earnest  men  are 
scarce  in  this  army.  Your  life  is  worth  saving  at  the  expense  of  mine,  if  need  be. 
You  can  not  be  spared.  I can.’  He  believed  I meant  to  do  all  my  capacity  rendered  me 
capable  of.  His  patriotic,  unselfish  character  is  thoroughly  disclosed  in  his  reply  to  my 
question.  Firm,  self-reliant,  capable,  kind,  just  to  all,  he  was  the  best  man  I ever 
knew.  To  do  his  duty  as  he  saw  it  was  his  highest  aim.  After  my  recovery  to  health,  I 
handed  him  $500  as  pay  for  his  great  services  to  me.  He  instantly  repelled  it,  and 
said  severely:  “Your  life  was  not  worth  saving  if  you  believed  me  capable  of  taking 
pay  for  doing  my  duty.”  I assured  him  that  the  service  was  entirely  out  of  the  line 
of  his  duty  and  that  the  money  offered  was  only  intended  as  a recognition  of  his  over- 
work in  my  case.  He  looked  me  straight  in  the  eye  as  he  said:  ‘No  man  can  do  more 
than  die  for  his  country.  Every  honest  soldier  proposes  to  do  that  in  the  line  of  his 
duty.  Keep  your  money  for  your  children ; they  may  need  it  yet.’  ” 

It  was  in  recollection  of  his  splendid  war  record  that  Governor  Ruther- 
ford B.  Hayes,  in  1876,  appointed  him  Surgeon-General  of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Wm.  H.  Mussey  was  not  only  a useful  member  of  the  profession,  but 
likewise  a public-spirited  citizen.  As  a member  . of  the  Cincinnati  Society  of 

339 


Wm.  H.  Mussey  \Vm.  Ceendenin 


Chandeer  B,  Chapman 


Henry  E.  Foote  B.  F.  Richardson 


340 


Natural  History,  of  the  Board  of  Education,  of  the  Board  of  IManagers  of 
the  Cincinnati  Public  Library  he  was  always  ready  to  give  up  money,  time 
and  effort  in  the  interests  of  the  public  good.  He  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  uplifting  of  the  colored  race  and  did  a great  deal  for  the  Meharry  Med- 
ical College  for  colored  students  in  Nashville,  Tenn. 


WILLIAM  CLENDENIN,  a product  of  sturdy  Scotch  stock,  was  born 
on  a farm  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1829.  After  his  father’s 
death,  in  1839,  his  mother  moved  with  her  four  children  to  New  Castle,  Pa. 
Here  young  William  received  a scant  education  at  the  village  school,  sup- 
plemented by  such  instruction  as  his  good  Christian  mother  was  able  to  give 
him.  The  memory  of  that  splendid  mother  was  the  inspiration  of  Clendenin’s 
whole  life.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  he  started  to  make  his  own  way 
as  a clerk  in  a dry  goods  store  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  After  one  year  he  returned 
to  New  Castle  and  decided  to  adopt  a professional  career.  He  became  the 
student  of  a local  physician  until  the  Pall  of  1848,  when  he  matriculated  at 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1850  he  graduated  and  settled  in  Cincm- 
nati.  Geo.  Mendenhall  and  the  two  Musseys  became  his  friends  and  made 
him  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1856.  When 
the  merger  between  the  Miami  and  Ohio  Colleges  took  place,  Clendenin  re- 
tained his  place  as  demonstrator.  In  1859  he  went  to  Europe  and  remained 
for  one  year  and  six  months,  visiting  clinics  and  hospitals  in  England  and 
Erance.  When  he  returned  to  Cincinnati,  he  was  offered  the  chair  of  anatomy 
in  the  Chicago  Medical  College.  He  declined  the  appointment  and  had 
hardly  gotten  fairly  settled  in  private  practice  when  the  great  struggle  be- 
tween the  States  began.  Clendenin  was  one  of  the  first  Cincinnati  physicians 
to  respond  to  the  call  for  volunteers.  He  was  appointed  Surgeon  of  Volun- 
teers and  assigned  to  duty  in  Camp  Dennison  under  General  Mitchell.  Sub- 
sequently he  saw  service  under  Generals  Rosecrans,  Premont,  Sigl  and 
Thomas.  Clendenin  was  present  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  He  had 
charge  of  a military  hospital  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  was  appointed  As- 
sistant Medical  Director  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  with  headquarters 
at  Nashville.  He  had  charge  of  all  the  sick  and  wounded  and  was  respon- 
sible for  the  management  of  all  hospitals  between  Louisville  and  Chattanooga. 
He  went  home  on  sick  leave  in  1864.  He  returned  to  duty  after  a few  weeks 
and  was  made  Medical  Inspector  of  Hospitals.  In  July  1865  President  John- 
son appointed  him  Consul  General  to  Russia.  He  declined  the  honor.  The 
Miami  Medical  College  had  been  re-organized  and  had  made  him  a pro- 
fessor. In  addition  to  this,  Clendenin  had  decided  to  enlist  in  the  army  of 
benedicts  and  found  that  the  woman  of  his  choice  could  not  be  tempted  by 
the  prospects  of  official  life  in  the  Russian  capital.  These  were  Clendenin’s 
reasons  for  declining  the  honor-post  with  which  President  Johnson  desired  to 
reward  his  splendid  war  record. 


341 


A good  story,  illustrating  the  courage  of  Gen.  George  H.  Thomas  ("Pap” 
Thomas),  Clendenin  often  told  with  much  glee: 

“During  the  second  day's  fight  at  Chickamauga,  General  Thomas,  accompanied  by 
engineers,  members  of  his  staff  and  several  orderlies,  repaired  to  a point  selected  for 
observation,  at  the  foot  of  a knoll,  on  the  border  of  a large  meadow,  beyond  which 
was  a thick  piece  of  woods.  The  party  dismounted,  and  the  Chief  having  taken  his 
seat  on  a log,  proceeded  to  fill  his  pipe  in  a very  deliberate  manner,  and  was  fumbling 
in  his  vest  pocket  for  a match,  when  a rebel  shell  went  hissing  over  our  heads.  The 
General  continued  his  search  for  a match  in  the  inside  pocket  of  his  coat  without  suc- 
cess, and  at  last  said  to  me,  who  was  standing  near:  ‘Have  you  a match,  doctor?’ 
‘No,  General,’  I replied,  but  immediately  acquainted  an  orderly  with  the  General’s 
want,  with  better  results.  The  chief  was  in  the  act  of  striking  it  on  the  sole  of  his 
boot,  when  another  shell  burst  just  beyond  us,  and  threw  the  dirt  over  us  in  a style 
that  indicated  that  the  rebels  had  gotten  their  range,  and  the  next  shell  would  prob- 
ably alight  in  our  midst.  The  pipe  was  not  yet  lighted,  and  the  General  was  pro- 
vokingly  deliberate,  and  only  suspended  operations  on  the  sole  of  his  boot  long  enough 
to  look  around  and  say:  ‘Nobody  hurt,  I reckon.’  Perspiration  was  now  pouring  from 
the  faces  of  his  attendants,  for  fear  another  shell  would  visit  them  before  the  General 
would  be  ready  to  start;  but  at  last,  his  pipe  being  in  full  blast,  he  mounted  his  horse, 
and  the  rest  of  us  were  not  slow  to  follow  him  out  of  the  range  of  the  rebel  battery.” 

In  1861  Clendenin  had  a narrow  escape.  During  the  Winter  of  1861 
Doctor  Clendenin  was  ordered  by  General  Rosecrans,  to  go  down  the  river  as 
far  as  Cincinnati,  and  report  as  to  the  number  and  condition  of  the  sick  and 
wounded.  On  leaving  Cincinnati  for  headquarters,  at  New  River,  W.  Va., 
he  was  put  in  possession  of  a large  sum  of  money  for  the  commissary. 
Colonel  Crane,  and  having  proceeded  as  far  as  Charleston  by  boat,  was 
obliged  to  ride  about  forty-five  miles  alone.  When  within  eight  miles  of  the 
camp,  he  was  attracted  by  the  sun’s  rays  on  the  bayonets  of  Floyd’s  army, 
who  seemed  to  be  executing  some  movement  about  two  miles  distant.  Put- 
ting spurs  to  his  horse,  he  soon  came  upon  a small  squad  of  Union  cavalry, 
under  the  command 'of  a sergeant  of  whom  he  requested  a fresh  horse  and 
an  escort  and  was  immediately  told  that  it  “would  be  an  escort  to  hell,  for 
the  rebs  are  picking  off  every  one  who  passes  up  the  road.”  He  procured  a 
fresh  horse,  but  no  escort;  it  was  a beautiful  black  creature  and  remarkably 
fleet.  He  had  proceeded  only  a short  distance  before  the  rebel  sharp-shooters’ 
rifles  commenced  cracking  and  striking  the  trees  just  before  and  behind  him 
in  a manner  that  made  it  exciting  both  for  the  horse  and  its  rider,  the  former 
seeming  to  realize  the  imminent  peril  as  vividly  as  the  latter,  and  sped  almost 
with  the  fleetness  of  the  wind.  Suddenly,  however,  it  was  thrown  back  upon 
its  haunches.  The  doctor  was  thrown  forward,  but  managed  to  alight  upon 
his  feet,  as  he  was  holding  by  the  mane  at  the  time  of  the  accident.  The 
horse  wheeled  around  violently,  and  pawed  the  ground  in  the  most  frantic 
manner  for  a few  seconds,  but  finally  seemed  to  recover  himself,  when  our 
subject  sprang  into  the  saddle  and  went  off  at  a rapid  rate.  In  a few  minutes 
the  faithful  creature  dropped  again,  and  blood  was  discovered  streaming 
from  its  face,  and  some  on  its  chest,  plainly  indicating  that  he  had  been 


342 


shot  in  two  places.  The  doctor  managed  to  rim  between  the  bullets  for 
about  a mile,  when  he  wound  around  the  side  of  a hill,  and  was  out  of 
danger.  He  finally  reached  headquarters  uninjured,  with  his  money  intact. 

Clendenin  contributed  some  very  able  articles  to  the  Medical  and  Sur- 
gical History  of  the  War,  published  by  the  Government.  From  1866  to  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1885  Clendenin  served  the  Miami  Medical  College  with 
unswerving  fidelity  as  its  professor  of  surgical  anatomy,  and  for  a time,  of 
principles  of  surgery.  One  year  before  his  death  he  became  professor  of 
operative  surgery.  He  was  the  friend  of  the  students  to  whom  he  never 
hesitated  to  open  his  heart  and  not  infrequently  his  purse.  From  1865  to 
1873  he  was  health  officer  of  Cincinnati,  rendering  good  service  during  the 
cholera  epidemic  in  1866  and  contributing  to  the  framing  of  the  sanitary 
laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio  which  were  passed  in  1867.  From  1874  to  1883 
he  was  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Ohio  Dental  College.  From  1867  to' 
1870  he  was  one  of  the  surgeons  to  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  From  1874  to 
1885  he  was  Probate  Court  Examiner  of  the  Insane.  He  was  affiliated  with 
many  enterprises  and  societies  of  public  interest.  Like  his  friend,  Wm.  H. 
Mussey,  he  was  the  type  of  a dutiful  and  extremely  useful  member  of  the 
profession.  His  name  can  not  be  separated  from  the  history  of  the  Miami 
Medical  College.  He  died  of  miliary  tuberculosis  in  1885. 

Clendenin’s  successor  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  was  Frank  W.  Lang- 
don,  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1852.  He  graduated  from  the  Miami  College  in 
1881,  became  professor  of  anatomy  in  1884  and  held  this  chair  until  1901 
when  Wm.  E.  Lewis  was  elected  his  successor,  Langdon  assuming  the  chair 
of  neurology. 

ELKANAH  WILLIAMS.  The  name  of  this  excellent  physician  is  in- 
delibly impressed  upon  the  pages  of  American  medical  history.  No  record 
of  medical  achievements  in  this  country  would  be  complete  without  a refer- 
ence to  Elkanah  Williams,  one  of  the  first  American  physicians  who  devel- 
oped ophthalmology  as  a distinct  line  of  medical  work  at  a time  when  its 
special  character  was  by  no  means  recognized  by  the  profession  at  large  and 
when  the  men  who  had  the  courage  to  practice  it  as  a specialty  were  by 
many  classified  as  charlatans.  Williams,  strong  in  mind  and  equally  cour- 
ageous in  action,  stuck  to  his  post  until  he  forced  recognition  for  himself 
and  his  work.  In  the  building  up  of  the  noble  edifice  of  American  medicine, 
he  had  a share  so  conspicuous  that  no  encomium  that  might  be  spoken  or  any 
monument  that  might  be  erected  could  possibly  add  to  the  lustre  of  this 
early  pioneer’s  name.  His  work,  in  and  of  itself,  is  a monumentum  acre 
perennhis. 

Elkanah  Williams  was  born  December  19,  1822,  in  Lawrence  County,  In- 
diana, where  his  father,  a captain  in  the  war  of  1812,  had  settled  some  years 
previously.  Young  Williams  was  fortunate  in  being  given  every  opportunity 
to  acquire  a good  classical  and  general  education.  He  attended  Bedford 


343 


Seminary  and  the  State  University  at  Bloomington.  At  the  latter  institution 
he  took  a four  years’  course,  leaving  it  in  1843  to  go  to  Asbury  (DePauw) 
University,  where  he  received  his  bachelor’s  degree  in  1847.  He  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Louisville 
and  became  the  pupil  and  friend  of  Samuel  D.  Gross.  He  graduated  in 
1850  and  practiced  for  two  years  in  his  native  county  in  Indiana.  He  in- 
tended to  locate  in  Cincinnati  and  do  general  work.  At  the  suggestion  of 
his  friend  Gross  he  went  abroad  in  1852.  He  was  particularly  interested  in 
surgery  and  was  a faithful  attendant  at  the  famous  clinic  of  M.  Nelaton  in 
Paris.  The  French  physicians  were  at  that  time  much  interested  in  the  re- 
cently devised  instrument  for  eye  examinations,  the  work  of  Hermann  Helm- 
holtz. It  was  the  ophthalmoscope  that  finally  arrested  Williams’  mind  and 
completely  absorbed  his  attention.  When  he  crossed  the  English  Channel  in 


Ei.kanah  Wiu.iams 

1853,  he  carried  the  first  ophthalmoscope  with  him  that  had  ever  been  seen  in 
England.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  Moorfield  Ophthalmic  Hospital 
in  London  as  a student  of  Dixon,  Critchett,  Bowman  and  other  distinguished 
men  who  were  attached  to  this  great  institution.  The  ophthalmoscope  which 
he  had  brought  with  him  from  Paris  made  him  the  center  of  interest  and 
gave  him  unusual  opportunities  for  study  and  research.  In  London  he  pub- 
lished the  first  scientific  paper  (“Ophthalmoscopic  Examinations,”  Medical 
Times  and  Gazette,  1854).  In  1854  he  went  to  Germany  to  study  under  the 
classical  masters  of  eye  surgery,  notably  the  prince  of  them  all,  A.  von  Graefe. 
Williams  was  a young  man  of  great  ambition  and  possessed  of  a brilliant  and 
active  mind.  He  spoke  Erench  and  German  fluently.  Thus  he  became  a 
favorite  with  the  eminent  men  whose  instruction  he  sought.  He  returned 
to  America  in  1855  and  located  in  Cincinnati,  limiting  his  practice  to  dis- 
eases of  the  eye.  The  profession  looked  askance  at  what  they  considered  a 


344 


bold  and  needless  innovation  and  Williams  soon  found  out  the  meaning  of 
medical  conservatism  and  all  the  narrowness,  bigotry  and  cruelty  which  are 
contained  in  this  world.  Williams  was  not  the  kind  of  a man  who  could  be 
overawed  by  conventionality  or  discouraged  by  adversity.  He  raised  his 
head  higher  and  prouder  and  pursued  his  chosen  path  with  more  determina- 
tion than  ever.  His  early  experience  shows  that  the  thought  of  the  profes- 
sion not  infrequently  shapes  itself  in  keeping  with  any  suggestion  of  utility. 
In  this  respect  the  public  is  often  the  policy-maker  of  the  profession  in 
ethical  and  sometimes  even  in  scientific  matters.  It  has  been  said  that  in 
and  of  itself  the  medical  profession  is  not  progressive,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
conservative  to  the  point  of  lethargy.  Every  now  and  then  an  individual 
mind  in  the  profession  becomes  the  carrier  of  a new  idea,  of  a better  method, 
of  a reform.  The  greatest  enemy  and  most  persistent  antagonist  of  such  a 
man  is  the  conservative  element  in  the  profession  itself  which  it  not  satis- 
fied to  wait,  to  examine,  to  deal  fairly.  The  history  of  human  knowledge 
from  the  earliest  times  to  the  present  is  a long  litany  of  sorrows  endured  by 
those  who  rose  above  the  common  level  and  thus  became  shining  marks. 
Men  who  are  original  in  thought  and  action  must  invariably  weather  the 
storm  of  open  and  covert  opposition  until  the  psychological  moment  arrives 
that  brings  with  it  the  crown  of  victory  for  the  lonely  undismayed  pioneer. 
The  new  path  having  been  blazed,  it  soon  becomes  a beaten  track  because 
followers  are  plentiful.  This  was  the  experience  of  Elkanah  Williams  who 
practiced  ophthalmology  for  several  years  in  spite  of  the  objections  which  were 
raised  by  the  great  conservative  throng  in  the  profession. 

Williams  was  an  indefatigable  worker.  He  displayed  a phenomenal  pro- 
ductiveness in  enriching  the  literature  of  the  profession.  In  1861  a depart- 
ment of  ophthalmology  was  created  in  the  Commercial  (Cincinnati)  Hospital 
and  placed  in  his  charge.  He  served  the  institution  eleven  years.  In  1865 
he  was  appointed  professor  of  ophthalmology  in  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 
lege, the  chair  being  the  first  one  of  its  kind  in  this  country.  He  resigned 
in  1887  owing  to  ill  health.  During  all  these  years  he  took  care  of  an  enor- 
mous private  practice.  When  he  died  in  1888  in  Hazelwood,  Pa.,  he  was 
easily  the  most  distinguished  American  oculist,  whose  name  was  spoken  with 
respect  even  by  the  master  surgeons  of  the  old  world. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  the  Civil  War  Dr.  Williams  was  one  of  the 
surgeons  in  charge  of  the  United  States  Marine  Hospital  in  Cincinnati.  In 
1862  he  appeared  before  the  International  Ophthalmological  Congress  with  a 
paper  entitled  “Plusieurs  Questions  de  Therapeutique  Oculaire;”  in  1872, 
at  the  London  meeting,  he  spoke  on  “Practical  Observations  on  Different 
Subjects.”  At  the  New  York  meeting  of  the  International  Ophthalmological 
Congress  in  1876  he  was  elected  president.  In  the  same  year  he  appeared 
before  the  International  Medical  Congress  (Centennial  Exposition,  Philadel- 
phia) with  a paper  on  “Pulsating  Tumors  of  the  Orbit.”  The  previous  year 
he  had  read  a paper  on  “Penetrating  Wounds  of  the  Eye”  before  the  Ohio 


345 


State  Medical  Society  and  was  elected  president  of  the  society.  In  the  year 
1868  he  published  an  exhaustive  report  of  a case  of  ‘'Aneurism  of  the  Orbit,” 
accompanied  by  accurate  ophthalmoscopic  observations  of  the  retinal  circu- 
lation before  and  after  ligation  of  both  carotids,  the  operation  having  been 
performed  by  Dr.  H.  E.  Foote  at  Dr.  Williams’  suggestion.  The  following 
year  he  brought  out  a new  method  of  treating  strictures  of  the  nasal  duct. 
He  contributed  a monograph  on  “Injuries  of  the  Eye”  to  Ashhurst’s  System 
of  Surgery.  Other  subjects  which  he  elaborated,  were  keratoconus,  inflam- 
mations of  the  corpus  ciliare,  trachoma  with  pannus  treated  by  inoculation 
with  gonorrheal  matter,  excision  of  a corneal  cicatrix  for  the  relief  of  neu- 
ralgia of  the  eye  and  face,  parasites  in  the  human  eye,  obliteration  of  the 
lachrymal  sac  by  the  actual  cautery,  iridectomy  in  glaucoma,  exophthalmic 
goitre,  fluid  cataract,  trachoma,  construction  of  the  ophthalmoscope  and 
manner  of  using  it,  caries  of  the  orbit,  cysts  of  the  orbit,  operative  methods 
in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  its  parts  and  appendages,  the  uses 
of  brown  citrine  ointment,  sarcoma  of  the  choroid,  symptomatology  of  optic 
neuritis,  and  many  more.  The  remarkable  literary  productiveness  of  Doctor 
Williams  can  be  appreciated  when  we  consider  that  from  1856  to  1880  he 
published  numerous  papers,  monographs  and  case  reports  every  year.  These 
papers  covered  the  whole  field  of  his  specialty  and  represent  the  most  mer- 
itorious kind  of  original  work.  Doctor  Williams  was  a methodical  worker, 
thorough  in  detail  and  systematic  in  making  use  of  clinical  material.  Much 
of  his  work  is  of  classical  value  in  ophthalmology.  In  1864  he  published 
sixteen  different  papers  on  as  many  different  subjects.  He  had  no  models 
to  follow,  no  authorities  to  quote.  He  was  cultivating  a virgin  soil  and 
gave  to  the  profession  a truly  magnificent  harvest.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  his  health  failed  at  a time  when  he  was  at  the  zenith  of  his  professional 
usefulness.  He  had  gathered  an  enormous  amount  of  material  which  he 
intended  to  give  to  the  profession  in  the  form  of  a text-book  on  ophthal- 
mology. He  was  not  spared  to  finish  his  labors  by  this  last  crowning  effort 
for  which  he  had  made  a lifelong  preparation. 

Personally  Doctor  Williams  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  men.  He 
was  genial  and  accessible  at  all  times,  cordial  and  courteous  without  a sug- 
gestion of  effort.  He  had  a reputation  as  a good  story-teller  and  an  all- 
around  boon  companion.  In  appearance  he  was  tall,  broad-shouldered  and 
well  proportioned.  His  wit  and  cleverness  were  proverbial. 

There  are  many  brilliant  men  that  have  shed  luster  on  the  career  of  the 
Miami  Medical  College,  but  no  one  is  so  typical  of  the  best  which  this  school 
has  done  as  Doctor  Williams.  In  becoming  the  first  incumbent  of  the  chair 
of  ophthalmology  in  the  Miami  Medical  College,  Doctor  Williams  opened  a 
new  chapter  of  medical  education  which,  of  course,  can  never  be  separated 
from  the  history  of  the  Miami  Medical  College.  The  latter  had  had  its 
Mussey,  Comegys,  Murphy  and  other  brilliant  men.  But  they  came  from 
other  fields  of  work  where  they  developed  strength  and  greatness.  There  is 


346 


one  man,  however,  whom  the  Miami  College  can  claim  as  its  own  and  he 
is  the  peer  of  any  and  the  superior  of  many.  That  man  is  the  father  of 
Western  ophthalmology,  Elkanah  Williams. 

The  successor  of  Doctor  Williams  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  was 
Robert  Sattler,  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1856  as  the  son  of  an  old  respected 
German  physician.  He  graduated  from  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1875 
and  in  1884  became  Williams’  assistant.  Upon  the  death  of  his  distinguished 
chief  Sattler  was  elected  professor  of  ophthalmology.  He  is  the  present 
incumbent  of  the  chair. 

EDWARD  B.  STEVENS  was  born  in  ^Lebanon,  Ohio,  in  1823.  He  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  at  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  gradu- 
ated in  medicine  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1846.  He  located  at 
Monroe,  Ohio,  but  came  to  Cincinnati  after  a few  years  and  with  George 
Mendenhall  and  John  A.  Murphy  founded  the  “Medical  Observer”  in  1856. 
He  was  the  managing  editor  and  continued  as  such  after  the  consolidation  of 
the  “Observer”  with  the  “Western  Lancet.”  In  1873  the  “Lancet  and  Ob- 
server” was  sold  to  J.  C.  Culbertson  and  Stevens  went  to  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
where  the  merging  of  Geneva  VIedical  College  into  the  College  of  Medicine 
of  Syracuse  University  had  resulted  in  the  creation  of  a large  medical  school. 
Its  managers  were  casting  about  for  available  talent  and  offered  the  chair  of 
materia  medica  to  Stevens  who  accepted  it.  He  resigned  his  chair  in  the 
Miami  Medical  College,  sold  the  “Lancet  and  Observer”  to  J.  C.  Culbertson 
and  left  for  his  new  field  of  activity.  The  new  position  in  Syracuse  did  not, 
however,  come  up  to  his  expectations.  After  a few  months  he  returned  to 
Lebanon,  his  native  town,  where  he  again  entered  practice  and  gained  a vast 
reputation  as  a gynecologist  and  obstetrician.  He  started  the  “Obstetric  Ga- 
zette” in  1878  and  in  its  columns  did  his  best  work  as  a medical  editor.  He 
excelled  as  a terse  and  sprightly  reviewer  of  current  literature.  He  wrote  a 
virile  Saxon  English  and  possessed  a fine  critical  instinct.  In  1860  he  was 
appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  but  re- 
signed at  the  end  of  the  term.  His  incumbency  of  the  chair  of  materia 
medica  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  began  in  1865  and  terminated  just 
previous  to  his  assuming  a chair  in  Syracuse.  During  the  war  he  was  at- 
tached to  the  local  military  hospitals.  He  was  in  poor  health  and  unable  to 
attend  to  any  professional  duties  for  several  years  before  his  death.  He 
died  in  1896. 

B.  F.  RICHARDSON  was  born  in  1817  on  a farm  in  Columbiana  County, 
Ohio.  His  early  educational  advantages  were  scant.  He  attended  Starling 
Medical  College  and  received  his  degree  in  1848.  He  located  in  Cincin- 
nati and  became  an  obstetrician  of  great  repute.  When  the  Miami  Medical 
College  was  re-organized  after  the  Civil  War,  Richardson  was  elected  pro- 
fessor of  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  pediatrics,  in  the  place  of  J.  Byrd  Smith, 


347 


A.  S.  Dandrjdge 


Wm.  B.  Davis 


348 


Edward  B.  Stevens 


who  had  originally  been  elected  to  fill  this  chair,  but  had  died  before  the 
term  opened.  Richardson  shared  the  chair  with  Geo.  Mendenhall  who  was 
the  dean  of  the  new  faculty  and  lectured  on  obstetrics,  while  Richardson 
took  up  gynecology  and  pediatrics.  He  resigned  his  chair  in  1877.  He  was 
an  impressive  lecturer,  full  of  aggressive  virility.  The  latter  quality  appears 
very  markedly  in  some  of  his  literary  work  as  associate  editor  of  the  “Lancet 
and  Observer.”  He  was  a man  of  great  individuality  and  not  afraid  to 
express  his  opinions  which  were  always  pointed  and  well-defined.  Richard- 
son experienced  reverses  in  business  late  in  life  and  never  recovered  from 
the  losses  and  mental  depression  involved.  He  engaged  in  a manufacturing 
enterprise  and  lost  nearly  his  whole  fortune.  He  died  in  1890,  broken  in 
body  and  spirit. 

THOMAS  H.  KEARNEY  was  born  in  Clonmel,  Ireland,  in  1832,  and 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  his  native  country.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1855  and  matriculated  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
graduating  in  1858.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  45th  Regi- 
ment Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  During 
the  term  1866-’67  he  was  Blackman’s  assistant  at  the  Ohio  College.  In  1872 
he  became  professor  of  surgery  and  surgical  pathology  in  the  Miami  Med- 
ical College.  In  1874  he  assumed  the  chair  of  principles  and  practice  of 
surgery  and  retained  it  until  1884.  During  two  sessions  (1880-’82)  he 
added  to  his  duties  those  of  demonstrator  of  anatomy.  He  was  surgeon  to 
the  Cincinnati  Hospital  and  Health  Officer  of  the  city.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  in  this  part  of  the  country  to  make  an  abdominal  hysterectomy.  In 
1884  Kearney  moved  to  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and  practiced  there  until  1896, 
when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  give  up  his  professional  work.  He 
resided  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  until  1901  when  he  died.  Kearney  was  a well- 
read  man,  a cultured  gentleman  and  a surgeon  of  great  ability. 

WILLIAM  B.  DAVIS,  brother  of  John  Davis,  who  is  referred  to  else- 
where, was  born  of  Welsh  parents  in  Cincinnati,  in  1832.  He  attended 
Woodward  College  and  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio, 
where  he  received  his  baccalaureate  degree  in  1852.  In  1855  he  graduated 
in  medicine  at  the  Miami  Medical  College.  The  Ohio  College  conferred  the 
ad  eundem  degree  upon  him  in  1858.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was  sur- 
geon of  the  137th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  had  charge  of  a 
military  hospital  in  the  West  End  of  Cincinnati.  In  1872  he  went  to  Europe 
for  observation  and  study.  Upon  his  return  he  assumed  the  chair  of  materia 
medica  which  he  held  until  1888.  He  died  in  1893. 

Wm.  B.  Davis  was  an  authority  on  insurance  matters  and  their  relation 
to  medicine,  having  been  the  medical  director  of  the  Union  Central  Life  In- 
surance Co.,  which  his  brother,  John  Davis,  helped  to  organize.  In  1875  he 
read  his  much-discussed  paper  on  “Influence  of  Consumption  on  Life  Insur- 


349 


aiice”  before  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  It  was  one  of  the  earliest 
statistical  papers  on  tuberculosis  published  in  this  country.  Another  valu- 
able paper  was  “Functional  Albuminuria ; or,  Albuminuria  in  Persons  Ap- 
parently healthy  and  its  Relation  to  Life  Insurance.”  It  attracted  much 
attention  among  insurance  examiners  everywhere.  David  read  a number  of 
valuable  papers  on  vaccination,  vaccines,  infections  by  vaccine-virus,  etc. 
His  son,  Clark  W.  Davis,  is  his  successor  as  medical  director  of  the  insur- 
ance company  named  above.  Wm.  B.  Davis  was  a public-spirited  citizen 
who  gave  much  time  and  effort  to  educational  and  philanthropic  enterprises. 
A beautiful,  artistic  window  in  the  Clifton  M.  E.  Church  perpetuates  the 
memory  of  this  excellent  physician  and  useful  citizen. 

W.  K.  PERRINE  was  born  in  Monroe,  Butler  County,  Ohio.  His  lit- 
erary education  was  obtained  at  Jefferson  College,  Canonsburg,  Pa.  He 
received  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  1864  and  studied  medicine  at  the  Miami  Med- 
ical College.  He  graduated  in  1867  and  served  as  an  interne  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati Hospital  for  one  year.  Erom  1868  to  1871  he  was  demonstrator  of 
anatomy  in  his  Alma  Mater.  He  resigned  in  1871  and  located  in  Minne- 
sota. His  health  failing,  he  returned  to  his  native  State,  intending  to  ulti- 
mately locate  in  the  South.  He  began  to  practice  in  Mt.  Healthy,  and  died 
there  in  1879. 

JACOB  B.  HOUGH  was  born  in  Camargo,  Pa.,  in  1829.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Lebanon  Academy,  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  the  University  of  Michigan, 
graduating  at  the  latter  institution  in  1865.  He  became  professor  of  chem- 
istry in  his  Alma  Mater.  Two  years  later  he  located  in  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and 
remained  here  as  a practicing  physician  for  a number  of  years.  In  1873  he 
moved  to  Cincinnati  and  established  himself  as  an  analytical  and  consulting 
chemist.  In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  professor  of  chemistry  and 
toxicology  in  the  Miami  Medical  College.  He  filled  this  chair  for  six  years. 
He  died  in  Lebanon  in  1897.  He  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  Ohio 
State  Medical  Society  in  1873. 

Hough  was  a very  capable  chemist,  who  published  numerous  valuable 
papers  on  subjects  pertaining  to  chemistry.  He  was  also  a biologist  who 
did  much  original  work,  especially  in  connection  with  the  subject  of  spon- 
taneous generation.  He  wrote  a practical  handbook  on  chemical  testing. 

WM.  H.  TAYLOR  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1836.  The  old  home- 
stead of  the  family  was  the  house  on  Eourth  Street,  which  was  subsequently 
occupied  by  the  McGuffey  family.  Daniel  Drake  during  the  last  two  years 
of  his  life  had  his  office  and  residence  in  this  house.  One  of  his'  daughters, 
it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  wife  of  Alexander  McGuffey.  Young  Tay- 
lor’s childhood  days  were  spent  on  Alt.  Auburn.  When  the  lad  was  seven 
years  old,  his  father  perished  in  a fire.  Taylor  was  twenty-two  years  old 


850 


when  he  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  He  spent  some  time 
in  Europe,  where  he  familiarized  himself  with  Virchow’s  new  pathology,  and 
acquired  considerable  dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  microscope.  When  the 
Miami  Medical  College  was  re-organized  in  1865,  Taylor  was  made  pro- 
fessor of  physiology,  pathology  and  morbid  anatomy.  In  1872  he  became 
the  successor  of  Geo.  Mendenhall  in  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  continued  as 
the  professor  of  obstetrics  for  thirty-five  years.  By  studious  application  to 
the  subject  and  faithful  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  pupils  he  established  a 
great  reputation  as  a successful  teacher  of  midwifery.  He  became  a member 
of  the  hospital  staff  in  1866.  As  a practical  exponent  of  the  art  of  obstetrics 
his  long  experience  has  made  him  one  of  the  master  accoucheurs  of  this 
country.  Taylor  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  relation  to  the  alumni  and 
friends  of  the  Miami  College  to  whom  he  represents  the  embodiment  of  the 
best  traditions  of  their  Alma  Mater.  Not  the  least  praiseworthy  trait  of 
this  veteran  physician’s  character  is  his  intensely  human  feeling  towards 
children.  The  Children’s  Home  and  the  House  of  Refuge  have  for  years 
claimed  a large  share  of  his  time  and  attention.  No  amount  of  pressing 
professional  business  has  ever  lured  him  away  from  these  charities  that  are 
so  close  to  his  heart.  The  homage  which  is  offered  by  the  grateful  hearts 
of  poor  homeless  waifs  that  he  has  comforted,  and  the  love  of  hundreds  of 
physicians  whose  friend  and  teacher  he  has  been,  are  like  the  gentle  glow 
of  a sunset  that  hovers  about  the  eventide  of  a life  spent  in  the  interests  of 
humanity  and  science,  almost  the  ideal  of  Solonic  happiness. 

J.  C.  MACKENZIE  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1842.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1849  and  received  his  education  at  Herron’s  Seminary,  one  of 
the  famous  educational  institutions  of  early  Cincinnati.  He  graduated  from 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1865.  In  1873  he  was  elected  professor  of 
physiology  in  the  Miami  Medical  College,  succeeding  Wm.  H.  Taylor.  He 
held  the  chair  until  1881  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  chair  of  practice. 
He  resigned  in  1894.  Eor  a time  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati 
Hospital.  He  taught  clinical  medicine  in  the  Miami  College  from  1894  to 
1899  when  he  became  an  emeritus  professor.  Mackenzie’s  life  reflects  his 
character,  modest,  unassuming,  and,  withal,  full  of  the  best  quality  of  man- 
hood and  professional  excellence.  His  skill  as  a diagnostician  is  almost 
proverbial. 

BYRON  STANTON,  son  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Stanton,  of  Salem,  Ohio, 
was  born  at  this  place  in  1834.  He  obtained  his  early  education  at  Eriends’ 
Academy  of  Salem,  and,  having  begun  the  study  of  medicine  under  his 
father,  entered  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1855,  graduating  in  1857. 
He  was  an  interne  at  St.  John’s  Hospital  and  began  to  practice  in  Salem. 
In  October,  1861,  he  entered  the  army  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Eirst  Reg- 
iment Ohio  Light  Artillery.  In  December,  1862,  he  was  made  surgeon  of  the 


351 


Wm.  H.  Taylor 


Thos.  H.  Kearney 


J.  B.  Hough 


Byron  Stanton 


Joseph  Eichberg 


352 


Dan  Mieeikin 


120th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  regiment  he  served 
until  May,  1865,  except  for  two  months  when  he  was  a prisoner  in  a Con- 
federate prison.  After  May,  1865,  he  was  in  charge  of  military  hospitals  at 
Cleveland  and  Detroit  and  of  the  Northern  Ohio  Lunatic  Asylum,  at  New- 
burgh, Ohio.  The  latter  position  he  resigned  in  1869  whereupon  he  located 
in  Cincinnati.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  professor  of  diseases  of  women 
and  children  in  the  Miami  Medical  College.  He  resigned  in  1900.  He  has 
served  as  president  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society,  the  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine and  the  Obstetrical  Society.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  American 
Association  of  Obstetricians  and  Gynecologists.  He  has  been  health  officer 
of  the  city  and  trustee  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  Since  1892  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Ohio  State  Board  of  Health.  He  has  been  a public-spirited 
citizen  and  has  furnished  a practical  illustration  of  the  good  that  a physician 
can  do  outside  of  his  profession,  by  taking  a legitimate  and  active  interest 
in  the  public  affairs  of  the  community.  It  would  accrue  to  the  benefit  of 
both  profession  and  public  if  there  were  less  politics  in  the  medical  profes- 
sion and,  instead  thereof,  the  medical  profession  were  more  in  politics.  Vivat 
sequens ! 

Upon  Stanton’s  resignation  in  1900,  his  chair  was  divided  into  separate 
chairs  of  gynecology  and  pediatrics,  the  former  being  filled  by  the  election 
of  Rufus  B.  Hall  (born  in  Aurelius  Township,  Washington  County,  Ohio, 
in  1849,  graduated  from  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1872,  located  in  Cin- 
cinnati in  1888).  Stanton’s  successor  in  the  pediatric  department  was  E.  W. 
Mitchell  (born  in  1854,  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in 
1882). 

JOHN  F.  JUDGE  was  born  in  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  in  1832.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  St.  Charles  and  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  graduated  in 
medicine  in  1854  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  In  1857  he  became 
professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Eclectic  school  and  continued  as  such  until 
1874,  when  he  took  a course  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery. He  devoted  a great  deal  of  attention  to  chemistry.  He  taught  the 
latter  for  many  years  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy  and  from  1879 
to  1881  in  the  Miami  Medical  College.  In  1885  he  located  in  Hartwell, 
Ohio,  as  a general  practitioner.  He  died  there  in  1891.  Doctor  Judge  was 
a scholarly  man,  a good  chemist  and  an  excellent  teacher. 

WILLIAM  L.  DUDLEY  was  born  in  Covington,  in  1859.  He  began  the 
study  of  the  natural  sciences  at  an  early  age  and  entered  the  University  of 
Cincinnati  in  1876  as  a student  of  chemistry.  His  work  in  the  laboratory 
attracted  much  attention.  Dudley  was  but  nineteen  years  of  age  when  the 
German  Chemical  Society,  of  Berlin,  made  him  a corresponding  member. 
He  received  the  degree  of  Sc.  B.  from  the  University  of  Cincinnati  in  1880 
and  was  at  once  elected  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 

353 


lege.  He  continued  in  this  position  for  six  years.  In  1886  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  chemistry  in  Vanderbilt  University  and  dean  of  its  medical  de- 
partment, Nashville,  Tenn.  Miami  College,  in  1886,  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  His  successor  in  the  Miami  Med- 
ical College  was  Dan  Millikin,  of  Hamilton,  Ohio,  who  held  the  chair  for 
two  terms.  He  was  followed  by  Carl  Langenbeck,  a pharmacist  and  chemist 
of  ability,  who  resigned  in  1891  and  was  succeeded  by  Wm.  Dickore.  The 
present  incumbent  of  the  chair  is  Fred  B.  Sampson. 

NATHANIEL  PENDLETON  DANDRIDGE  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in 
1846.  He  attended  Brook’s  School  in  his  native  town  and  afterwards  Kenyon 
College.  He  took  one  course  of  lectures  at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and 
went  to  Europe  where  he  pursued  his  studies  in  the  clinics  and  hospitals 
of  Vienna  and  Paris.  Upon  his  return  to  this  country,  he  matriculated  at 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York  and  graduated  in 
1870.  He  located  in  Cincinnati  and  rose  to  a high  rank  as  a surgeon.  In 
1880  he  was  appointed  professor  of  genito-urinary  surgery  in  the  Miami 
Medical  College.  LIpon  the  resignation  of  Thomas  H.  Kearney,  in  1884,  he 
became  professor  of  surgery.  As  surgeon  to  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  and  the 
Episcopal  Hospital  for  Children  his  work  has  been  of  the  highest  order  and 
has  made  him  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  exponents  of  latter-day  surgery 
in  Cincinnati.  He  embodies  the  best  type  of  the  professional  gentleman. 
His  father,  Alexander  S.  Dandridge,  who  was  for  many  years  connected  with 
the  Cincinnati  Hospital  in  the  capacity  of  trustee,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  Virginia,  in  1819.  In  1843  he  located  in  Cincinnati  as  a general 
practitioner  and  for  years  was  a popular  and  much  respected  member  of  the 
profession.  He  was  a man  of  gigantic  physique  and  noted  for  his  courteous 
and  chivalrous  manner.  He  died  in  1888. 

DAN  MILLIKIN  was  the  son  of  a lawyer  who  had  sought  health  and 
surcease  from  the  drudgery  of  practice  and  for  years  had  been  leading  the 
life  of  a gentleman-farmer  near  Hamilton,  Ohio,  where  the  son  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  in  1845.  Dan  grew  up  amid  the  refining  influences  of  a 
cultured  family  and  the  ease  and  freedom  of  the  country.  In  1862  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  in  Hamilton,  and,  setting  up  a den  and  a labora- 
tory, he,  according  to  his  own  statement,  devoted  two  years  to  scientific 
reading,  the  monotony  of  which  he  managed  to  dispel  by  due  devotion  to 
horses,  music  and  loafing  in  good  company.  Eor  a few  months  he  studied 
chemistry  at  the  Sheffield  School  of  Yale  College.  In  1866,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  before  he  had  even  considered  the  question  of  a vocation,  he 
decided  to  abide  by  the  biblical  admonition  and  accordingly  took  unto  him- 
self a wife.  After  some  journalistic  work  on  the  Minneapolis  Tribune  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  continue  his  scientific  studies  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  Miami  Medical  College.  His  intention  was  not  to  practice 

354 


medicine,  but  merely  to  acquire  its  knowledge  by  way  of  an  accomplishment. 
Eventually  the  love  of  the  work  itself  took  full  possession  of  him,  and, 
upon  receiving  his  degree  in  1875  he  located  in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  as  a prac- 
ticing physician.  In  1885  his  Alma  Mater  summoned  him  to  teach  medical 
jurisprudence  and  hygiene.  In  1886  he  became  the  successor  of  Wm.  L. 
Dudley  in  the  chair  of  chemistry.  He  resigned  in  1888  to  assume  the  chair 
of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics,  succeeding  Wm.  B.  Davis.  The  hard- 
ships involved  in  attending  to  the  duties  of  his  chair  while  taking  care  of  a 
constantly  increasing  practice  in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  prompted  him  to  resign 
in  1893.  The  school  whose  shining  ornament  he  had  been  for  all  these  years, 
was  loth  to  let  him  go.  The  chair  of  medical  jurisprudence  which  imposed 
less  onerous  duties,  was  given  him  and  filled  by  him  with  signal  success. 
He  has  been  an  emeritus  professor  since  1899.  Millikin  is  the  best  type  of 
an  erudite  professional  gentleman,  impersonating  that  catholicity  of  taste 
and  versatility  of  talent  which  have  made  him  such  a conspicuous  figure  in 
the  medical  life  of  Southern  Ohio.  He  is  a master  of  the  art  of  conver- 
sasione  and  a post-prandial  orator  of  great  ability. 

JOSEPH  EICHBERG  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1859,  and  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  and  in  Woodward  High  School. 
He  graduated  from  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1879,  served  one  year  in 
the  Cincinnati  Hospital  in  the  capacity  of  interne  and  went  to  Europe  for 
two  years.  His  fondness  for  pathologic  study  and  research  led  him  to  spend 
much  time  in  Strassburg  where  he  enjoyed  the  teaching  and  was  inspired 
by  the  labors  of  v.  Recklinghausen,  then  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame  as  a 
pathologist.  Eichberg  entered  general  practice  in  Cincinnati  in  1881  and 
became  pathologist  to  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  in  1883.  He  held  this  position 
for  four  years  when  he  was  made  internist  to  the  institution.  He  was  ap- 
pointed demonstrator  of  histology  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1881, 
professor  of  physiology  in  1882,  professor  of  practice  in  1894.  He  served 
as  president  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  in  1888  and  of  the  Academy 
of  Medicine  in  1896.  His  untimely  death  occurred  in  1908.  While  on  his 
vacation  in  the  Adirondacks,  he  was  drowned.  His  demise  involved  an  irre- 
parable loss  to  the  cause  of  medical  education  in  Cincinnati.  His  well- 
balanced  mind  and  splendid  educational  equipment  had  long  won  for  him  a 
conspicuous  place  among  medical  teachers  in  the  Middle  West.  He  was 
eminently  well  fitted  for  the  chair  of  practice  in  the  new  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  being  admittedly  the  best  internist  in 
Cincinnati  at  the  time  of  his  death  and  an  equally  successful  teacher.  It 
was  a bitter  irony  of  fate  that  such  a man  should  have  been  called  away 
from  his  labors  when  he  was  approaching  his  greatest  usefulness  to  the 
profession,  and  to  the  cause  of  medical  education.  The  plan  to  commem- 
orate the  name  of  this  splendid  man  by  an  adequate  endowment  of  a chair 
of  physiology  in  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  is  a well-merited  tribute  to 

355 


his  high  personal  and  professional  character  and  scholarship.  During  the 
last  years  of  his  life  Eichberg  was  more  especially  interested  in  the  diseases 
of  the  circulatory  system  and  was  preparing  a work  on  this  subject.  His 
contributions  to  the  literature  of  the  profession  were  in  the  form  of  short 
practical  papers  written  in  his  characteristic,  pointed  and  terse  style.  His 
successor  in  the  Miami  Medical  College  is  Oliver  P.  Holt,  born  in  1861,  who 
graduated  from  the  Miami  Medical  College  in  1886. 


356 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  CINCINNATI  ECLECTIC  MEDICAL  INSTITUTE. 

Eclecticism  was  one  of  the  outgrowths  of  the  active  protest 
against  the  polypharmacy  and  heroic  drug  methods  of  a hundred 
years  ago.  Doctor  Wooster  Beach,  an  energetic  man  of  keen  in- 
telligence, (born  at  Trumball,  Conn.,  in  1794)  in  1829  organized  a medical 
society  in  New  York  whose  object  was  the  study  and  practice  of  rational 
drug  methods.  The  members  of  this  society  were  all  regular  physicians. 
They  principally  opposed  the  abuse  of  the  lancet  and  the  indiscriminate  em- 
ployment of  large  doses  of  calomel.  Calomel  and  the  lancet  were  the  funda- 
mental pillars  of  practice  in  those  days.  Drachm  doses  of  calomel  and  the 
abstraction  of  ten  ounces  of  blood  were  nothing  uncommon.  That  there 
were  many  physicians  who  were  opposed  to  this  kind  of  therapy,  is  apparent 
from  the  writings  of  John  Eberle,  John  P.  Harrison,  Thomas  D.  Mitchell 
and  especially  Daniel  Drake.  All  these  men  taught  rational  moderation  in 
these  methods.  How  strong  the  tendency  towards  milder  forms  of  therapy 
was  at  that  time,  appears  from  the  writings  of  James  Conquest  Cross,  a 
distinguished  professor  of  medicine  in  the  Transylvania  school  and  later  on 
in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Cross  was  a brilliant  and  scholarly  teacher 
whose  enthusiasm  in  the  interests  of  rational  therapeutic  methods  prompted 
him  to  become  a professor  in  the  newly  founded  Memphis  (Tenn.)  Medical 
Institute,  which  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  forcing  therapeutic  re- 
forms. This  school  has  by  some  been  classified  as  an  Eclectic  institution. 
In  its  announcements  the  school  was  represented  as  being  the  exponent  of 
“reform  and  progress  in  medical  education,  practice  and  legislation.”  This 
movement,  in  one  form  or  another,  was  at  that  time  general  throughout  the 
country. 

Wooster  Beach  published  his  “American  Practice  of  Medicine”  (3  vols.) 
in  1833.  He  was  decorated  by  many  European  sovereigns,  even  by  His  Holi- 
ness Gregory  XVI.,  in  recognition  of  his  work.  In  his  own  country  he 
encountered  the  proverbial  fate  of  the  prophet.  He  was  decried  as  an  im- 
postor and  a quack,  while  even  his  enemies  could  not  deny  that  he  was  a man 
of  ability,  of  great  force  of  character,  and  clean  and  honest  in  all  his  deal- 
ings. Wooster  Beach  attracted  many  young  men  who  placed  themselves  in 
his  hands  as  students  of  medicine.  He  called  his  school  the  “Reformed  Med- 
ical College  of  the  City  of  New  York.”  He  had  many  applicants  from  the 
West  and  planned  to  organize  a medical  school  somewhere  in  the  West.  In 


357 


the  town  of  Worthington,  Ohio,  near  Columbus,  one  of  the  most  noted  edu- 
cators in  the  United  States,  Rev.  Philander  Chase,  was  principal  of  a literary 
college  which  had  been  chartered  by  the  Legislature  of  Ohio  as  early  as 
1808.  The  friends  of  the  institution,  notably  Col.  James  Kilbourne,  of¥ered 
Wooster  Beach  the  charter  and  edifice  of  Worthington  College  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a medical  department.  The  latter  was  opened  in  1830  with 
eight  students  and  Dr.  T.  V.  Morrow,  of  Kentucky,  one  of  Wooster  Beach’s 
pupils,  as  dean  of  the  medical  faculty.  The  institution  prospered  for  nine 


Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  (1846) 


years.  In  1839  a riot  was  precipitated  by  the  finding  of  a dead  body  in 
the  college  building,  that  had  been  taken  from  a neighboring  graveyard  by 
the  students  of  the  college.  Doctor  Morrow’s  house  was  destroyed  by  the 
infuriated  populace.  He  decided  that  Worthington  was  not  a favorable  soil 
for  medical  teaching  and  removed  to  Cincinnati  in  1842.  He  at  once  took 
up  his  work  and  gave  a course  of  lectures  in  the  ‘‘Hay  Scales  House,”  corner 
of  Sixth  and  Vine  Streets,  Cincinnati.  The  following  year  lectures  were 
given  in  a house  on  Third  Street.  In  1845  “Fourth  Street  Hall”  was  rented 
for  the  purpose.  In  the  same  year  a petition,  signed  by  the  mayor,  most 


358 


members  of  the  city  council  and  over  one  thousand  citizens,  was  presented  to 
the  Legislature,  asking  for  a charter.  The  granting  of  this  charter  was, 
of  course,  opposed  by  the  friends  of  the  existing  medical  schools.  Doctor 
O’Ferrall,  of  Piqua,  a member  of  the  Senate,  succeeded  in  out-Heroding 
Herod  by  solemning  declaring  that  “medical  science  had  reached  the  acme 
,of  its  perfection  and  was  not  capable  of  further  improvement.”  This  was 
in  1845.  O si  tacuisses  et  philosophus  mansisses ! The  charter  was  granted 
March  10,  1845.  The  school  was  called  the  “Eclectic  Medical  Institute.” 
The  word  “eclectic,”  while  in  its  application  to  a therapeutic  method  a 
truism,  was  added  to  emphasize  the  selective  character  of  the  therapy  to  be 
taught  and  followed. 

THOMAS  VAUGHAN  MORROW,  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Ec- 
lectic Medical  Institute,  was  considered  a remarkable  practitioner  and  teacher 
of  medicine  even  by  his  contemporaries  of  opposite  therapeutic  faith.  He 
was  born  at  Fairview,  Ky.,  April  14,  1804,  in  the  same  house  in  which  four 
years  later  (June  3,  1808)  Jefferson  Davis  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  His 
ancestors  were  Frenchmen  and  spelt  the  name  “Moreau.”  He  studied  at 
Transylvania  University  and  afterwards  at  Wooster  Beach’s  school  in  New 
York.  He  practiced  for  two  years  at  Hopkinsville,  Ky.,  but  got  into  political 
troubles  which  caused  him  to  leave  Kentucky.  He  was  an  ardent  abolitionist. 
Wooster  Beach  put  Morrow  in  charge  at  Worthington.  After  ten  years  he 
came  to  Cincinnati  and  established  the  Eclectic  Institute.  He  died  in  1850 
and  was  buried  in  the  Wesleyan  Cemetery,  where  a handsome  monument 
marks  his  resting-place.  He  will  be  remembered  as  the  founder  of  the  Na- 
tional Eclectic  Medical  Association.  His  friend  and  associate,  ICHABOD  G. 
JONES,  collected  his  numerous  papers  and  articles,  and,  together  with  his 
own,  published  them  under  the  name  of  “Jones  and  Morrow’s  Practice  of 
Medicine.”  Jones  was  originally  a Maine  man,  graduated  from  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  New  York  in  1830,  became  professor  of  ob- 
stetrics in  Wooster  Beach’s  school,  later  joined  the  Worthington  faculty, 
finally  located  in  Columbus  and  became  physician  to  the  penitentiary.  When 
Doctor  Morrow  died  in  1850,  Jones  became  his  successor  in  Cincinnati. 

During  one  session  (1845-’46)  Wooster  Beach,  the  father  of  the  new 
system,  lectured  at  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  Another  man 
of  great  ability  was  JOSEPH  RODES  BUCHANAN,  born  1814,  in  Erank- 
fort,  Ky.,  a versatile  scholar,  teacher,  lawyer  and  physician.  Buchanan  had 
gained  a reputation  on  account  of  his  work  in  cerebral  physiology.  Later  in 
life  he  became  interested  in  phrenology  and  tried  to  establish  it  scientifically. 
He  was  a strange  sort  of  a man,  reserved  and  dignified,  leading  a secluded 
life  and  wrapt  up  in  weird  and  semi-mystical  researches  in  anthropology, 
sarcognomy,  psychometry  and  occult  subjects  of  a religious  character.  He 
was  suspicious  and  restless,  constantly  at  loggerheads  with  his  colleagues. 


359 


W.  S.  MERREIvL 


R.  S.  Newton 


360 


C.  H.  Ceeaveeand 


He  was  a brilliant  speaker  when  he  was  in  the  mood  of  speaking.  In  1856 
he  was  forcibly  removed  and  helped  to  establish  a rival  school,  the  Eclectic 
College  of  Medicine.  He  left  Cincinnati  in  1856  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  wandering  about  the  country  from  Maine  to  California,  gratifying 
his  roaming  disposition  and  changeable  inclinations  to  the  fullest  extent. 
He  died  in  California  in  1899.  His  published  essays  and  papers  show  him 
to  have  been  a man  of  superior  mentality. 

In  1846  the  new  college  edifice  was  dedicated.  The  school  at  that  time 
had  127  students.  During  the  first  three  years  of  its  existence  the  school  had 
428.  During  the  same  period  of  time  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  had  73, 
the  Transylvania  school  255,  Louisville  Medical  Institute  404.  At  the  latter 
institution  Daniel  Drake  was  teaching  and  drawing  students  from  far  and 
near.  During  the  session  of  1849-’50  Dr,  Storm  Rosa,  a homoeopathic  physi- 
cian, (born  1791  in  Coxsaxie,  N.  Y.,  died  1864  in  Painesville,  Ohio)  was 


Storm  Rosa 


made  a member  of  the  faculty  of  Eclectic  Institute  to  lecture  on  homoeopathy. 
The  experiment  did  not  come  up  to  expectations  and  was  discontinued  at  the 
end  of  the  session.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  first  American  homoeo- 
paths in  the  West  were  those  who  graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Institute 
in  1850. 

The  life  of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  during  the  first  five 
years  of  the  existence  of  the  school  was  full  of  disputes,  entanglements  and 
ruptures  that  seem  to  have  been  the  common  lot  of  most  medical  colleges  in 
this  country.  In  1851  a re-organization  took  place.  The  Memphis  Institute 
had  closed  its  doors  and  five  of  its  professors  came  to  Cincinnati  as  teachers 
in  the  Eclectic  Institute.  The  latter  had  an  unusually  strong  faculty  for 
some  years  and  enjoyed  constantly  growing  classes.  Some  of  the  noted 
characters  among  its  teachers  were : 


361 


ROBERT  S.  NEWTON,  born  in  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  in  1818,  who  was  a 
country  school  teacher  until  1836  when  he  began  the  study  of  medicine, 
graduating  from  the  Louisville  Medical  Institute  in  1841  and  practicing  for 
four  years  in  Gallipolis  and  subsequently  four  years  in  Cincinnati.  In  1849 
he  became  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Memphis  Medical  Institute.  In  1851 
he  was  called  to  Cincinnati  and  was  the  incumbent  of  the  chair  of  surgery 
at  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  until  1862.  He  was  an  eloquent 
and  scholarly  teacher,  a splendid  debater  and  immensely  popular  with  the 
students.  He  wielded  the  pen  with  much  force.  In  conjunction  with  John 
King  he  published  the  U.  S.  Dispensatory  (1852),  with  Dr.  W.  Byrd  Powell 
in  1854  a volume  on  practice.  He  edited  many  important  works.  In  1863 
he  removed  to  New  York  City  and  died  there  in  1881.  His  best  work  was 
done  in  the  columns  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Journal  from  1851  to  1862. 
The  latter  journal  under  his  management  became  a power  in  medical  circles 
and  represented  in  its  time  the  best  literary  effort  of  its  kind  in  Cincinnati. 
None  of  the  regular  publications  at  that  time  compare  with  Newton’s  Jour- 
nal. Among  Newton’s  collaborators  was  Daniel  Vaughn,  Cincinnati’s  best 
known  and  most  highly  respected  scientist  during  the  last  century. 

ZOHETH  EREEMAN,  a distinguished  surgeon,  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia  in  1826,  came  to  Buffalo  in  1846  where  he  studied  medicine  under 
Austin  Elint  and  Frank  H.  Hamilton.  He  graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Med- 
ical Institute  in  1848.  He  began  his  career  as  a teacher  in  his  Alma  Mater 
in  1851  and  continued  to  teach  until  1872.  Ill  health  compelled  him  to  resign 
his  chair.  He  continued  in  practice  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1898.  His 
clinical  papers  were  among  the  most  valuable  contributions  published  by  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Journal.  His  son,  Leonard  Freeman,  has  risen  to  con- 
siderable eminence  as  a surgeon  in  Denver,  Col. 

GEORGE  W.  L.  BICKLEY,  born  in  Russell  County,  Virginia,  in  1823, 
was  a picturesque  character,  brilliant,  capable,  of  adventurous  habits  and 
full  of  schemes  of  all  kinds.  His  career  was  similar  to  that  of  the  talented, 
visionary  and  unfortunate  Joseph  Nash  McDowell,  Drake’s  colleague  in  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College.  Bickley  was  thoroughly  ill- 
balanced  and  erratic,  always  on  the  move  and  endowed  with  a marvelous 
talent  for  getting  into  trouble.  Some  considered  him  a genius  while  others 
thought  him  a notorious  and  dangerous  character.  He  was  a globe-trotter, 
and  spent  some  six  or  seven  of  the  forty-four  years  of  his  life  in  Cincin- 
nati, lecturing  at  the  Eclectic  Institute.  His  work  as  a lecturer  on  materia 
medica  was  eminently  satisfactory.  He  was  in  Cincinnati  from  1852  to  1854 
and  again  from  1856  to  1861,  when  his  second  nature.  Wanderlust,  took  him 
away  to  the  battlefields  of  the  South.  Judging  from  his  articles  in  the 
“Eclectic  Medical  Journal,”  he  was  the  equal  of  any  medical  writer  in  the 
West  at  that  time.  His  style  reminds  one  of  Drake,  rhetorical  and  of  class- 


362 


ical  purity.  The  life  of  this  strange  man  reads  like  a romance.  He  was 
left  an  orphan  at  twelve,  ran  away  from  home  to  see  the  world,  beat  his 
way  to  Europe,  tried  to  trace  his  family  there,  returned  to  America,  taught 
school,  began  to  practice  medicine,  wrote  a creditable  historical  work  about 
Virginia,  visited  Europe  for  the  second  time,  became  editor  of  the  ‘‘West- 
American  Review,”  taught  materia  medica  at  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute, 
wrote  a work  on  botany,  lectured  on  a thousand  different  subjects  here,  there 
and  everywhere,  wrote  a popular  novel  which  was  translated  into  German 
and  Erench,  published  a work  on  materia  medica,  became  a brigadier  general 
in  the  Confederate  service,  went  to  Europe  after  the  war,  lecturing  and  sight- 
seeing, founded  the  '‘Order  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,”  a military 
order  favoring  the  South  and  promptly  suppressed  by  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment, and  finally  died  in  Baltimore  in  1867.  He  attended  medical  lectures 
wherever  he  happened  to  be,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Paris,  Edinburgh,  etc. 
He  was  a marvelously  gifted  man  who  would  have  been  a power  for  good 
if  he  had  had  less  explosive  brilliancy  and  more  common  sense.  At  one  time 
he  thought  of  overthrowing  the  Mexican  Government  and  establishing  him- 
self as  emperor.  At  another  time  he  was  about  to  buy  the  entire  output  of 
coal  in  the  Dominican  Republic  and  make  millions.  His  schemes  were  gi- 
gantic. His  life  would  be  a suggestive  subject  for  a sensational  novel. 
Under  well-regulated  conditions  he  might  have  become  an  eminent  naturalist. 
His  taste  ran  in  the  direction  of  the  natural  sciences  and  his  capacity  for 
work  was  phenomenal.  The  accompanying  picture  which  Dr.  PI.  W.  Felter, 
the  historian  of  the  Eclectic  Institute,  secured  after  a long  and  tedious 
search,  shows  him  in  the  insignia  of  the  Order  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle: 

CHARLES  H.  CLEAVELAND  was  born  in  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  in  1820. 
He  studied  medicine  under  R.  D.  Mussey  in  1836,  and  graduated  in  1843 
from  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School.  He  practiced  at  Waterbury,  Vt.,  for  a 
number  of  years  and  wrote  a great  deal  for  the  medical  press.  In  1854  he 
came  to  Cincinnati  and  was  appointed  professor  of  materia  medica.  Cleave- 
land  was  not  “eclectic”  enough  in  his  teaching  and  practice,  and  soon  found 
himself  at  loggerheads  with  those  who  were  more  orthodox  in  their  faith. 
A rupture  ensued  which  led  to  Cleaveland’s  expulsion.  He  and  his  friends 
in  the  faculty,  among  them  the  belligerent  Buchanan,  organized  a rival 
school,  the  “College  of  Eclectic  Medicine,”  in  which  he  was  the  professor 
of  materia  medica.  He  served  as  a surgeon  during  the  first  two  years  of 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and  died  in  1863.  He  was  the  possessor  of  vast 
knowledge  and  solid  achievements.  His  Pronouncing  Medical  Dictionary 
was  popular  with  the  profession  for  many  years. 

JOHN  WESLEY  HOYT  was  born  in  Worthington,  Ohio,  in  1831.  He 
graduated  from  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  1849,  began  to  study  law 


363 


J W.  Hoyt 


Zoheth  Freeman 


G.  W.  L.  Bickley 


John  King 


H.  P.  Gatcheee 


364 


J.  B.  vStaeeo 


under  Salmon  P.  Chase  and  attended  the  Cincinnati  Law  School.  Through 
Hon.  J.  B.  Stallo,  who  was  teaching  chemistry  at  the  Eclectic  Institute,  Hoyt 
became  interested  in  medical  studies  and  ultimately  gave  up  the  study  of 
law  for  that  of  medicine.  He  graduated  in  1853  and  became  Stallo’s  suc- 
cessor. His  original  work  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Eclectic  Institute  earned 
for  him  a Eellowship  in  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science.  In  the  rupture  which  occurred  in  1856  he  sided  with  Cleaveland 
and  Buchanan  and  became  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  rival  school.  The 
following  year  he  removed  to  Wisconsin  where,  for  twenty  years,  he  took 
a prominent  part  in  politics  and  in  the  agricultural  development  of  his  new 
home.  In  1862  he  was  one  of  the  American  commissioners  at  the  London 
Exposition.  In  1867  he  served  in  a similar  capacity  in  Paris.  Napoleon  III 
decorated  him.  In  1868  he  published  a volume  on  the  Educational  Systems 
of  Europe.  In  1870  he  founded  the  Wisconsin  Academy  of  Sciences,  Arts 
and  Letters.  In  1873  he  was  American  Commissioner  at  the  Vienna  Exposi- 
tion and  was  decorated  by  Emperor  Francis  Joseph.  He  was  Territorial 
Governor  of  Wyoming  from  1878  to  1883.  In  1885  he  was  president  of  the 
International  Jury  of  Liberal  Arts  at  the  New  Orleans  Exposition.  In  1893 
he  was  one  of  the  presidents  at  the  World’s  Congress  of  Religions  in  Chi- 
cago. Professor  Hoyt  is  still  living  (1909)  in  Washington.  D.  C.  As  a 
public  man  he  has  left  an  enviable  record.  He  has  been  a voluminous  writer 
on  a variety  of  scientific  and  economic  topics. 

WILLIAM  BYRD  POWELL,  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky, 
in  1799,  graduated  from  the  Literary  Department  of  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity in  1820.  He  was  for  one  ‘session  a pupil  of  Daniel  Drake  who  signed 
his  medical  diploma  in  1823.  The  erratic  but  scholarly  Charles  Caldwell  was 
his  professor  of  practice.  Caldwell’s  hobby  was  brain  physiology  and  sim- 
ilar subjects.  In  1825  the  famous  phrenologist,  Spurzheim,  made  a tour  of 
this  country  and  completely  captivated  the  mind  of  the  impressionable  Powell. 
The  latter  had  already  done  some  very  creditable  work  in  anthropo-crani- 
ology.  In  1835  he  became  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Louisiana  and  a contributor  to  Drake’s  Western  Journal.  In  1843 
he  began  to  collect  crania  from  all  over  the  world  and  amassed  the  largest 
collection  on  record.  He  taught  at  Memphis  in  1847  and  in  the  Cincinnati 
Eclectic  Institute  in  1852  and  1853.  During  his  lifetime  he  was  considered 
non  compos  mentis  on  account  of  his  views  of  psycho-physiology,  set  forth 
in  his  sensational  book  on  the  “Natural  History  of  the  Human  Tempera- 
ments” (1856).  Powell  died  in  1866  in  Cincinnati.  In  his  will  he  bequeathed 
his  skull  to  his  executor.  Dr.  A.  T.  Keckeler,  of  Cincinnati,  with  directions 
to  add  it  to  his  craniological  collection.  His  headless  body  lies  in  a Coving- 
ton, Ky.,  cemetery.  In  the  history  of  American  scientific  research  Powell’s 
name  will  always  receive  honorable  mention.  (Dr.  A..  T.  Keckeler,  his  friend 
and  executor,  was  an  exotic  product  of  the  medical  profession  of  Cincinnati. 


365 


He  was  noted  for  his  peripatetic  habits  which  made  a life-long'  traveler  out 
of  him.  He  was  known  as  a “globe-trotter”  the  world  over,  while  he  was  a 
stranger  at  home.) 

JOHANN  BERNHARD  STALLO  who  taught  chemistry  during  the 
session  of  1849-’50  was  not  a physician  but  an  attorney.  Born  in  1823  in 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  he  came  to  this  country  in  1839,  taught  German  at 
St.  Xavier  College,  Cincinnati,  chemistry  and  physics  at  St.  John’s  College, 
New  York  City  from  1843  to  1847 ; chemistry  in  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic 
Institute  1849-’50,  and  subsequently  became  a lawyer  of  national  reputation. 
He  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  scholarly  Germans  that  have  ever  come 
to  this  country.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  United  States  Minister  to  Italy. 
He  died  in  Florence  in  1900. 

Among  the  other  Eclectic  teachers  of  the  early  days  were  J.  R.  Paddock 
(1803-1878),  a chemist  and  botanist  of  note  and  widely  known  on  account 
of  his  perfect  mastery  of  the  classic  languages;  B.  F.  Johnson  (1816-1855), 
one  of  the  earliest  graduates  of  Worthington  College;  A.  H.  Baldridge 
(1795-1874),  one  of  the  original  Worthington  professors,  who  came  to 
Cincinnati  with  Doctor  Morrow  and  taught  here  for  a number  of  years, 
leaving  a record  as  a painstaking  teacher  and  a brilliant  writer;  L.  E.  Jones 
(1809-1878),  a man  of  ability,  irascible,  not  dependable,  but  a writer  of 
merit,  who  in  1852  seceded  from  the  Institute,  founded  a rival  school,  the 
“American  Medical  College,”  which  was  absorbed  by  the  Institute  in  1856, 
Jones  again  becoming  a professor  in  the  latter;  James  Kilbourne  (1815- 
1845)  a young  man  of  much  promise  and  versatile  talent;  Benjamin  L.  Hill 
(1813-1871),  an  author  and  teacher  of  ability  with  a distinct  leaning  towards 
the  system  of  Hahnemann;  Hiram  Cox  (1798-1867),  a graduate  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio,  a favorite  pupil  of  James  M.  Staughton,  father  of 
Judge  Joseph  Cox;  John  M.  Sanders,  a talented  naturalist  concerning  whose 
birth  and  death  nothing  is  known,  an  author  of  several  text-books  of  chem- 
istry and  physics,  much  esteemed  in  Europe;  William  Sherwood  (1812- 
1871),  physician,  politician  and  man  of  affairs,  author  of  a text-book  of 
practice. 

During  the  first  decade  of  the  existence  of  the  Eclectic  Institute  the  idea 
of  eclecticism  was  by  no  means  a clearly  defined  concept.  It  was  rather  a 
term  of  protest  or  distinction,  rather  negative  than  positive  in  its  signifi- 
cance. There  was  much  diversity  of  opinion  among  the  professors  who 
interpreted  the  teaching  of  the  new  “school”  according  to  their  individual 
notions.  All  varieties  and  shadings  of  therapeutic  practice  were  represented 
from  pure  Thomsonianism  and  botanism  to  the  wide  therapeutic  latitude 
of  the  regular  school.  Homoeopathy  was  liberally  represented.  The  text- 
books were  those  of  the  regular  school  interpolated  and  expurgated  ad  libitum 


366 


by  each  professor.  John  Eberle’s  “Practice”  was  extensively  used.  The 
attendance  during  the  first  ten  years  shows  that  the  school  was  gradually 
growing  in  strength  and  popularity: 


1345-’46 

22  grad. 

1850-’51 

211  matric. 

45 

grad. 

1846-’47 

127 

31 

1851-^52 

212 

58 

11 

1847-’48 

220 

48 

]852-’53 

308 

70 

05 

00 

00 

191 

47 

1853-’54 

292 

126 

1849-’50 

. . . . 224 

65  “ 

18.54-’55 

279 

81 

“ 

The  fees  in  the  Announcement  for  1851  were  given  as  $100  for  a full 
course  of  lectures;  $15  graduation  fee  and  $5  demonstrator’s  fee. 

Not  all  was  peace  and  tranquility  in  the  faculty,  however.  Men  of  mild 
temperament  who  could  not  stand  the  pressure  of  either  active  or  suppressed 
warfare,  quietly  withdrew  by  resigning  their  posts.  In  this  way  the  In- 
stitute lost  some  excellent  men.  Some  of  the  professors,  however,  were  of 
the  belligerent  type  who  were  not  afraid  of  a fight,  verbal  or  fistic.  Per- 
sonal animosities  were  not  infrequently  the  cause  of  open  outbreaks.  Then 
there  were  financial  involvements,  professional  entanglements  and  other 
causes  of  disagreement.  The  embroglio  of  1856  is  graphically  described  by 
H.  W.  Felter  in  his  “History  of  the  Eclectic  Institute.” 

C.  H.  Cleaveland  and  R.  S.  Newton  represented  two  opposing  factions 
in  the  faculty.  Newton,  in  elaborating  the  therapeutic  teaching  of  the  Ec- 
lectic school,  had  evolved  eclecticism  as  a “distinct  and  positive  therapeutic 
system.”  Cleaveland  had  never  forgotten  the  early  teaching  he  had  received 
at  Dartmouth.  Newton  naturally  branded  him  as  a heretic,  as  a wolf  in 
sheep’s  clothing.  Cleaveland  did  not  take  much  stock  in  Newton’s  “Eclectic 
Concentrations,”  as  the  new  remedies  were  called.  Eurthermore,  he  never  hesi- 
tated to  say  so.  In  addition  to  this  strictly  scholastic  controversy  the  personal 
relations  of  some  of  the  other  men  were  not  pleasant.  Buchanan  was  a man 
who  could  not  stand  contradiction.  His  disposition  of  the  funds  of  the 
school  did  not  satisfy  everybody.  He  tried  to  control  the  organ  of  the  school, 
the  “Eclectic  Medical  Journal,”  and,  in  doing  so,  encountered  the  vehement 
opposition  of  Newton  and  Freeman.  The  newly  prepared  “National  Dis- 
pensatory” precipitated  a dispute  between  its  editors.  King  and  Newton. 
Thus  everybody  was  at  war  with  everybody  else. 

In  1856  a new  board  of  trustees  was  elected.  Cleaveland’s  deeply  laid 
plot  to  control  the  board  and  oust  his  opponents  Freeman  and  Newton,  failed 
because  at  the  last  moment  L.  E.  Jones  refused  to  transfer  his  stock  (about 
one-third  of  the  total  stock  issued)  to  Cleaveland.  A wrangle  ensued  which 
finally  led  to  several  law  suits  and  injunctions.  Everybody  seemingly  was 
determined  to  get  control  of  the  valuable  financial  and  professional  inter- 
ests represented  by  the  college.  Cleaveland  finally  resorted  to  physical  force, 
took  possession  of  the  building  and  barricaded  every  door  and  window. 
Newton  and  Freeman  with  their  followers  attacked  the  fort  and  drove 
Cleaveland  and  his  forces  from  the  premises.  Cleaveland  and  his  men  were 


367 


not  so  easily  to  be  vanquished.  They  renewed  the  attack  and  in  the  melee 
which  followed,  knives,  pistols,  chisels,  bludgeons,  blunderbusses  and  other 
means  of  active  warfare  were  freely  displayed.  On  the  principal  staircase 
Newton  stood  erect  inspiring  his  little  host  like  Leonidas  at  Thermopylae. 
Buchanan  and  Cleaveland  were  bravely  leading  the  attack,  but  each  time 
they  were  repulsed  by  the  Spartans  under  Newton  and  Freeman.  This 
surely  was  a case  where  doctors  disagreed.  One  night  and  a day  and  still 
another  night  passed.  Newton  and  Freeman  still  held  the  fort.  They  had 
planted  a six-pound  cannon  in  the  hall,  ready  to  blow  the  invading  usurpers 
into  an  ignominious  eternity.  At  this  juncture  the  city  police  under  the 
command  of  the  mayor  arrived  on  the  scene  to  put  an  end  to  the  medical 
fight  which  had  become  the  talk  of  the  town.  Cleaveland  and  his  hosts  went 
into  winter-quarters  at  Gordon’s  Hall  (Eighth  Street  and  Western  Row  or 
Central  Avenue).  They  declared  their  quarters  to  be  the  real  Eclectic  In- 
stitute, elected  trustees,  conducted  a regular  course  and  at  the  end  of  the 
term  graduated  twenty-nine  students.  Shortly  aferwards  a quo  zvarranto 
proceeding  was  instituted  which  resulted  in  Newton  being  declared  the  lawful 
treasurer  of  the  board  of  trustees.  The  case  for  Newton  was  fought  by 
Judge  George  Hoadly  whose  argument  (“Eclectic  Medical  Journal,”  1857, 
p.  211)  was  of  great  legal  importance  in  connection  with  corporations  in 
Ohio.  That  in  the  fight  between  Cleaveland  and  Newton  the  fault  was 
nearly  evenly  divided,  seems  to  be  generally  admitted.  Newton  won  the 
fight  because  he  was  in  possession  of  the  things  under  dispute.  He  had 
all  the  advantages  of  possession.  The  defeated  antagonist  started  a rival 
school,  the  Eclectic'  College  of  Medicine,  which  took  quarters  in  the  Col- 
lege Building  on  Walnut  Street,  opposite  the  Gibson  House.  Twenty  years 
previously  Daniel  Drake  had  in  this  identical  place  conducted  a rival  school 
to  fight  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Tempora  mutantur!  The  rival  school 
was  fully  the  peer  of  the  mother  institution.  Its  professors  were  the  ablest 
Eclectics  of  those  early  times,  men  like  Cleaveland,  Buchanan,  King  and 
Howe.  The  Eclectic  College  of  Medicine  after  two  and  a half  years  of 
rather  vigorous  existence  consolidated  (December,  1859),  with  the  Institute. 
The  latter  institution  had  up  to  this  time  graduated  851  students.  A note- 
worthy feature  of  its  work  was  the  clinical  department  which  Drs.  Newton, 
Freeman  and  Newton  were  conducting  with  much  success  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Sixth  and  John  Streets.  The  advent  of  the  Civil  War  wrought 
many  critical  changes  in  the  management  of  the  school,  in  the  character  of 
its  professors  and  in  the  size  of  its  classes.  In  1862  the  affairs  of  the  Insti- 
tution seemed  hopeless.  At  this  juncture  a man  of  great  executive  ability 
stepped  into  the  arena  and  proved  to  be  the  man  of  the  hour.  This  man, 
who  is  generally  conceded  to  have  been  the  head  and  backbone  of  Eclectic- 
ism, was  John  M.  Scudder.  Under  his  firm,  guiding  hand  the  old  Institute 
entered  upon  an  era  of  unexampled  prosperity.  His  name  can  not  be  sep- 
arated from  that  of  his  faithful  friend  and  collaborator,  John  King. 

.S68 


JOHN  M.  SCUDDER.  The  pharmacologic  achievements  of  Merrell  and 
King  would  have  gone  for  naught,  and,  therefore,  would  have  been  of  no 
service  to  the  cause  of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Institute,  if  at  the  psychological 
moment  a man  of  fine  executive  ability  and  organizing  talent  had  not  taken 
hold  of  the  affairs  of  the  school  with  a firm  and  steady  hand.  Men  of  this 
kind  are  rare  because  in  their  psychic  makeup  they  combine  traits  that  are 
apparently  incompatible.  Inflexible  determination  is  in  strange  alliance  with 
a conciliatory  diplomacy  and  a faculty  of  making  concessions.  The  working 
out  of  a well-defined  plan  is  skillfully  adapted  to  inimical  environments  and 
allowed  to  transpire  with  slow  haste  and  amid  diplomatic  lethargy  of  the 
apparently  placid  but  ever-alert  moulder  of  the  policy.  Splendid  knowledge 
of  men  is  combined  with  an  aptitude  to  supplement  their  defects,  to  round 
their  rough  edges  by  gentle  friction,  to  cater  to  their  weakness  without  for  a 
moment  sacrificing  principles.  Such  was  the  mental  endowment  of  John  M. 
Scudder  whose  level  head  and  firm  hand  came  into  play  when  the  existence 
of  the  Eclectic  Institute  and  the  future  of  Eclecticism  were  at  stake. 

John  Milton  Scudder  was  born  in  Harrison,  near  Cincinnati,  in  1829. 
At  the  age  of  eight  he  lost  his  father  and  had  to  help  in  the  support  of  his 
widowed  mother  and  two  other  children.  He  started  to  work  in  a button 
factory  in  Reading,  Ohio,  and  received  the  princely  recompense  of  fifty  cents  a 
week.  When  he  was  twelve  years  old,  he  managed  to  be  enrolled  as  a stu- 
dent in  the  Miami  University,  of  Oxford,  Ohio,  getting  a fragmentary  edu- 
cation, and  often  interrupted  his  studies  in  order  to  make  a few  dollars  by 
the  work  of  his  hand  for  the  support  of  himself  and  his  fatherless  family. 
He  was  a skillful  mechanic  and  saved  up  enough  money  to  eventually  open 
up  a general  store  in  Harrison  and  get  married.  His^  ever-active  mind  finally 
turned  to  medicine.  He  received  his  degree  from  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic 
Institute  in  1856,  became  the  teacher  of  anatomy  in  the  school  the  following 
year,  wrote  a book  on  gynecology  in  1858,  began  to  formulate  his  system  of 
“specific  medication”  in  1859  as  professor  of  practice,  published  the  princi- 
ples of  his  system  in  a book  of  materia  medica  in  1860  and  advocated  his 
ideas  in  a medical  journal  which  he  started  soon  after.  Scudder  was  about  thirty 
years  of  age  at  this  time  and  had  already  established  a formidable  record  as 
an  indefatigable  worker,  a successful  physician,  original  author  and  a skill- 
ful organizer. 

Scudder’s  writings  were  voluminous  and  furnished  the  Eclectic  School 
with  a characteristic  and  systematic  presentation  of  the  various  departments 
of  medical  practice  from  an  eclectic  point  of  view.  In  1864  he  published  his 
“Eclectic  Practice  of  Medicine,”  in  1865  a treatise  on  “Inhalations,”  in  1866  a 
reference  book  on  “Domestic  Medicine,”  in  1867  a book  on  the  “Principles 
of  Medicine,”  and  also  one  on  “Diseases  of  Children,”  in  1871  his  well- 
known  treatise  on  “Specific  Medication,”  in  1874  a treatise  on  “Venereal 
Diseases”  and  a book  on  “Specific  Diagnosis.”  Erom  1862  to  1894  he  was 
editor  of  the  “Eclectic  Medical  Journal”  and  contributed  liberally  to  its  pages. 

369 


W.  Byrd  Powedd 


E.  Freeman 


J.  U.  Leoyd 


370 


K.  O.  Foetz 


The  relative  value  of  Scudder’s  writings  judged  by  a purely  scientific 
criterion  is  identical  with  that  of  Eclectic  teaching.  He  was  the  great  expo- 
nent of  the  tenets  of  therapeutic  faith  adhered  to  and  believed  by  the  Eclectic 
school.  In  fact,  he  ivas^  the  school,  because  every  phase  of  its  life  bore  the 
impress  of  his  powerful  individuality.  He  boldly  defined  the  landmarks  of 
Eclectic  teaching,  and  made  Scudderisni  a synonym  for  advanced  Eclecticism. 
Since  Scudder’s  personality  as  a medical  teacher  appears  in  its  most  char- 
acteristic attitude  in  his  writings,  a few  quotations  from  his  books  may  help 
to  throw  some  light  on  the  pivotal  points  upon  which  hinges  the  therapeutic 
belief  of  the  Eclectic  school. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  ‘‘specific  medication”  he  has  this  to  say: 

“I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  reader  will  concede  that  all  agents  employed  as 
medicines  act  either  upon  function  or  structure ; and  that  this  action  to  be  curative  must 
be  opposed  to  the  processes  of  disease.  This  proposition  seems  so  plain  that  it  requires 
no  presentation  of  facts  in  proof,  yet  it  is  well  to  give  it  careful  consideration,  and 
arrange  such  facts  as  may  have  come  under  the  reader’s  observation  in  its  support.” 

“If  the  action  of  a remedy  is  to  oppose  a process  of  disease,  evidently  its  selection 
will  depend — first,  upon  a correct  knowledge  of  the  disease ; and,  second,  upon  a cor- 
rect knowledge  of  this  opposition  of  remedies  to  it.” 

“It  is  a law  of  the  universe,  that  like  causes  always  produce  like  effects,  or,  to 
reverse  it,  that  like  effects  always  flow  from  like  causes.  Therefore,  if  we  can  determine 
the  opposition  of  a remedy  to  a process  of  disease  in  any  given  cases,  we  have  de- 
termined it  in  all  cases.  And,  to  make  use  of  this  knowledge  subsequently  it  is  only 
necessary  that  we  be  able  to  determine  the  exact  condition  of  disease,  when  we  very 
certainly  expect  to  obtain  the  same  curative  (opposing)  action  from  the  remedy.” 

“In  describing  this  action  to  another,  it  is  necessary — first,  that  we  observe  and 
group  the  signs  and  symptoms  of  disease,  that  he  may  get  the  exact  idea  of  the  path- 
ological condition  to  be  opposed.  The  skill  required  is  in  diagnosis,  and  necessitates  a 
very  thorough  re-study  of  pathology,  ignoring,  to  a great  extent,  our  present  nosology. 
To  facilitate  this  study,  the  author  has  published  a work — ^‘The  Principles  of  Medi- 
cine’— which  embodies  his  views,  and  will  serve  as  a basis  for  specific  or  direct  medica- 
tion. Much  that  might  be  deemed  necessary  in  this  monograph,  will  there  be  found 
in  its  proper  connection,  and  we  have  not  deemed  it  desirable  to  separate  it  and  re- 
produce it  here.” 

“Many  persons  are  in  error  in  regard  to  our  use  of  the  term  specific.  They  think 
of  a specific  medicine,  as  one  that  will  cure  all  cases  of  a certain  disease,  according  to 
our  present  nosology,  as  pneumonitis,  dysentery,  diarrhoea,  albuminuria,  phthisis,  etc. ; 
and  a person  looking  at  the  subject  in  this  light,  and  guided  by  his  experience  in  the 
use  of  remedies,  would  at  once  say  there  are  no  specifics.” 

“We  use  the  term  specific  with  relation  to  definite  pathological  conditions,  and 
propose  to  say,  that  certain  well-determined  deviations  from  the  healthy  state,  will 
always  be  corrected  by  certain  specific  medicines.” 

In  his  private  and  business  relations  Scudcler  embodied  the  best  type  of 
the  shrewd  and  far-seeing  business  man.  He  was  a natural  organizer  and 
manager,  endowed  with  a fine  business  sense,  resourceful  and  diplomatic. 
He  looked  at  the  problems  of  every-day  life  in  a cool,  impassionate  manner, 
was  never  swayed  by  impulses  and,  while  not  without  sentiment  and  emotion, 
never  allowed  himself  to  be  carried  away  when  the  interests  of  his  college. 


371 


the  principles  of  his  teaching  or  the  rights  of  his  associates  were  involved. 
He  was  evenly  balanced  with  a slight  preponderance  of  the  practical  and 
definable  element.  This  happy  combination  of  traits  of  mind  and  heart 
made  him  a veritable  tower  of  strength  in  the  Eclectic  school.  His  asso- 
ciates and  followers  swore  by  him  because  they  believed  in  him.  He  was 
always  truthful  and  disdained  advantages  that  had  to  be  won  by  question- 
able methods,  even  if  the  latter  had  the  approval  of  custom  and  habit.  As  a 
successful  manager  of  a medical  school  he  left  a record  behind  which  is  full 
of  eloquent  lessons  for  others  who  find  themselves  at  the  helm  of  a medical 
college  or  institution.  Ambition  is  great,  ability  is  greater,  but  the  greatest 
element  in  the  mental  equipment  of  the  head  of  a medical  organization  of  any 
kind  is  truthfulness.  A leader  must  be  a man  of  honor  whose  very  life 
portrays  a truthful  mind.  His  must  be  the  philosophy  that  is  embodied  in 
the  admonition  of  Polonius  to  Laertes : 

“This  above  all : to  thine  own  self  be  true, 

And  it  must  follow  as  the  night  the  day, 

Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man.” 

Coupled  with  Scudder’s  personal  integrity  was  that  remarkable  fitness 
for  business  and  practical  affairs.  When  he  took  hold  of  the  management  of 
the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Institute  in  1862,  the  school  was  on  the  verge  of  col- 
lapse, professionally  and  financially.  He  systematized  the  management  of 
the  school,  paid  all  debts,  saw  to  it  that  the  members  of  the  faculty  received 
their  recompense  promptly  and,  in  this  manner,  re-established  the  credit  of 
the  school  and  its  reputation  as  an  educational  institution.  He  was  a splendid 
judge  of  human  nature  and  put  the  right  men  in  the  right  places  for  results. 
Thus  it  was  that  he  made  a successful  venture  out  of  what  seemed  a lost 
cause  when  he  appeared  on  the  scene.  Scudder  spent  the  last  few  years  of 
his  life  in  the  mild  climate  of  Florida.  His  health  had  been  failing  for  a 
long  time.  The  machine  that  had  been  running  under  high  pressure  for  so 
many  years  finally  began  to  show  the  signs  of  wear.  He  died  of  apoplexy 
February  17,  1894. 

Scudder,  like  all  truly  intelligent  men,  cared  little  for  the  petty  differences 
that  separate  men  in  matters  of  ethics.  He  rose  above  the  level  of  the 
smaller  minds  that  spend  their  energy  wrangling  over  accidentals  while  they 
remain  oblivious  to  essentials.  In  questions  of  religion  he  paid  no  attention 
to  matters  of  mere  faith.  He  longed  and  hoped  for  a better  world  although 
he  did  not  presume,  like  some,  to  have  any  special  information  concerning 
the  plans  of  God.  He  cherished  the  religion  of  good  deeds  and  pure  hearts. 
He  summarized  his  religion  in  a few  sentences : 

“I  am  not  a Protestant,  a Catholic,  a Theosophist,  a Mohammedan  or  a Buddhist. 
I believe  in  the  Scriptures  of  all  peoples,  the  religions  of  all  peoples.  I believe  in 
everything  that  means  goodness  in  all  peoples.  My  religion  is  right,  justice  and  liberty 
for  all  men,  and  charity,  sublime,  world-embracing  charity,  for  all  suffering  creatures.” 


372 


“There  are  ways  of  knowing  things  supposed  to  be  unknowable  other  than  by 
revelation,  and  its  interpretation  by  those  who  know  less  than  I do.  I know  that  the 
universe  is,  practically,  limitless,  and  that  it  is  pervaded  by  sentient  life,  which  people 
call  God.  I know  there  are  millions  of  globes  like  ours,  with  inhabitants  and  interests 
like  ours.  There  is  use  for  all  intelligences  in  this  vast  number  of  worlds;  and  science 
has  assured  me  of  the  fact,  that  nothing  is  ever  destroyed  or  lost,  neither  material  nor 
force.  Is  it  possible  that  the  intelligence  developed  in  man,  the  mind,  should  be  an 
exception  to  this?” 

“There  are  other  things  I do  not  know,  but  only  hope  for.  Among  these  is,  where 
I shall  go  when  I leave  this  world,  I hope  then  in  God,  for  I shall  yet  praise  Him; 
when  or  how  I do  not  know ; but  the  good  Lord  will  find  my  place,  and  I shall  be 
satisfied  with  it.  For  a man  can  not  reasonably  look  for  more  than  his  right  place 
and  his  right  work  and  his  just  deserts.” 

As  a man  and  as  a physician,  John  M.  Sciidder  exemplified  that  broad 
and  human  religion  that  can  not  be  monopolized  by  priest  or  preacher,  church 
or  temple,  that  can  not  be  forced  into  Procrustean  beds  of  Bible  or  thora, 
koran  or — code  of  ethics.  Thus,  he  was  not  a member  of  any  man-made 
church  or  clan.  He  was  a gentleman.  What  more  can  be  said? 

JOHN  KING.  It  is  a profoundly  reverential  respect  which  thousands 
of  physicians,  especially  members  of  the  Eclectic  school,  pay  to  the  memory 
of  John  King.  If  there  are  any  saints  in  the  Eclectic  profession,  John  King 
must  be  one,  at  least  he  has  received  the  rites  of  canonization  at  the  hands 
of  hundreds  of  his  pupils  and  followers,  who  revere  him  as  the  embodiment 
of  all  those  traits  that  go  to  make  up  a good  and  great  physician.  This 
veneration  reflects  credit  on  his  pupils  and  followers  in  no  less  degree  than  it 
glorifies  him.  Abstracting  from  all  petty  sectarian  differences  amid  which  the 
psychic  spheres  of  smaller  minds  revolve,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  John 
King  was  one  of  the  really  eminent  medical  men  that  spent  their  lives  in 
and  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  in  this  part  of  our  country.  That  he, 
together  with  Wm.  S,  Merrell,  was  the  greatest  analytical  pharmacologist 
in  the  history  of  medicine  in  Cincinnati,  has  never  been  disputed. 

John  King  was  born  in  New  York  City,  January  1,  1813.  On  his 
mother’s  side  he  was  a grandson  of  the  Marquis  La  Parte,  Lafayette’s 
friend  and  comrade.  His  parents  were  in  comfortable  circumstances  and 
amply  able  to  give  him  a thorough  classical  and  scientific  education.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  was  a remarkable  linguist.  He  spoke  and  read  Erench 
and  German  fluently.  He  was  a mechanical  genius  and  in  his  leisure  hours 
learnt  the  art  of  engraving.  He  was  a good  amateur  musician  and  tried  his 
hand  successfully  at  the  art  of  the  playwright.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five 
he  graduated  in  medicine  from  Wooster  Beach’s  medical  school  in  New 
York.  After  his  graduation  he  devoted  many  years  to  practical  work  as  a 
botanist,  pharmacologist  and  chemist.  In  1851  he  became  a teacher  in  the 
Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  and  taught  its  classes  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  North  Bend,  Ohio,  in  1893.  All  through  these 
forty-two  years  he  was  held  in  almost  idolatrous  veneration  by  his  students. 


373 


King  discovered  and  introduced  podophyllin  (resin  of  podophyllum), 
inacrotin  (resin  of  cimicifuga),  irisin  (oleo-resin  of  iris  versicolor)  inde- 
pendently of  Wm.  S.  Merrell  and  established  therapeutically  many  alkaloids 
that  have  been  accepted  by  the  pharmacologists  of  the  other  schools.  Among 
the  drug  agents  that  King  introduced  into  medical  practice  were  hydrastis 
and  sanguinaria.  The  discovery  of  podophyllin  took  place  in  1835.  ‘Tn  the 
Fall  of  that  year,  desiring  to  make  an  hydro-alcoholic  extract  of  mandrake 
root  (with  the  aid  of  potassa  during  evaporation)  the  tincture  of  the  root, 
and  its  subsequently  made  infusion,  were  mixed  together.  In  order  to  save 
as  much  of  the  alcohol  as  possible,  this  mixture  was  placed  in  a distilling 
apparatus,  and  when  about  one-third  of  the  alcohol  had  been  collected  by 
the  distillation,  the  operation  was  discontinued  on  account  of  approaching 
night.  Upon  opening  the  kettle  the  next  morning,  and  stirring  up  the  now 
cold  mixture,  previous  to  a re-application  of  heat  and  continuation  of  the 
distillation,  a peculiar  substance  was  found  deposited  in  it,  which  King  at 
first  thought  from  its  appearance  was  some  foreign  material  that  had  found 
its  way  into  the  liquid  and  became  burnt  or  injured  by  the  heat  during  the 
distillation  of  the  previous  day.  While  pondering  over  the  matter,  and  still 
undetermined  as  to  the  nature  ot  the  deposit,  he  decided  to  investigate  its 
action  as  a purgative,  and  accordingly  administered  about  twelve  grains  to  a 
patient,  not  supposing  it  to  have  much,  if  any,  medicinal  action.  But  he 
was  soon  brought  to  know  the  reverse.  In  an  hour  or  two  after  having 
taken  it,  the  lady  was  attacked  with  hyper-catharsis  and  excessive  vomiting, 
which  continued  for  two  or  three  hours  before  King  was  notified.  He  was 
truly  alarmed  at  her  condition,  fully  recognized  the  nature  and  power  of  the 
resin,  as  well  as  his  responsibilty  in  having  permitted  her  to  take  a sub- 
stance concerning  the  action  of  which  he  knew  nothing.  It  was  a serious 
lesson  to  him  which  he  had  never  forgotten.  King  found  her  in  extreme 
pain  and  distress,  cramps  in  the  stomach  and  extremities,  with  coldness  and 
slight  lividity  of  the  surface,  pulse  small  and  weak,  almost  incessant  vomit- 
ing and  purging,  her  condition  greatly  resembling  that  of  one  in  the  latter 
state  of  Asiatic  cholera ; she  was  apparently  sinking  rapidly.  It  is  unneces- 
sary to  occupy  time  and  space  with  the  treatment  pursued ; suffice  it  to  state 
that  by  a careful  and  persistent  course  of  medication  she  recovered,  but, 
unfortunately  was  left  with  a chronic  malady  of  the  digestive  organs  which, 
as  far  as  King  knew,  was  never  removed.” 

King  was  a voluminous  writer.  His  greatest  effort  was  the  '‘American 
Dispensatory”  (1855)  which  he  edited  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  R.  S.  New- 
ton. This  monumental  work  has  passed  through  eighteen  editions  and  has 
recently  been  revised  by  John  Uri  Lloyd  and  Harvey  W.  Felter.  In  1855 
he  published  a text-book  of  obstetrics,  in  1858  one  of  gynecology.  The 
following  year  he  published  a “Manual  of  Practical  Microscopy,”  quite  an 
ambitious  undertaking  considering  the  time  in  which  the  book  was  written. 
In  1866  his  well-known  work  on  “Chronic  Diseases”  made  its  appearance. 


374 


King’s  work  in  pharmacology  was  of  historical  moment  because  it  influ- 
enced the  trend  of  pharmacological  thought  and  action  even  among  the 
non-Eclectic  authors.  The  practical  results  of  his  work  found  their  way 
into  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  and  the  writings  of  such  a man  as 
Bartholow,  not  to  speak  of  his  numerous  followers  and  imitators. 

King’s  eclecticism  was  in  the  nature  of  an  all-embracing  Catholicism  in 
medicine.  He  was  an  omnivorous  reader  and  one  of  the  few  Americans  of 
his  time  who  were  able  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  medical  literature  of  Ger- 
many and  France.  It  was  his  interest  in  Virchow’s  work  which  prompted 
him  to  write  his  text-book  on  microscopy  for  the  benefit  of  American  nat- 
uralists. In  addition  to  medical  microscopy  he  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
botanical  uses  of  the  microscope.  His  attitude  towards  the  other  schools 
was  characterized  by  a spirit  of  collegial  friendliness  in  his  professional 
dealings  but  by  a stubborn  adherence  to  what  he  considered  tenets  or  prin- 
ciples. His  was  not  an  aggressive  or  belligerent  disposition.  He  was  mild- 
mannered  and  conciliatory,  a gentleman  by  nature,  and,  therefore,  neither  a 
fanatical  sectionalist  nor  a molluscoid  utilitarian.  He  was  happily  balanced, 
neither  rigidly  intellectual  nor  morbidly  emotional.  This  perfect  equipoise 
of  character,  backed  up  by  a tremendously  active  and  productive  brain,  a 
vvell-nigh  unlimited  resourcefulness  and  an  over-towering  philanthropy,  is 
what  made  him  such  a power  even  beyond  the  confines  of  his  own  school. 
He  did  not  stop  in  his  teaching  when  his  subject  seemed  exhausted  and  he 
had  done  justice  to  the  requirements  of  his  chair.  On  Sunday  morning  he 
would  ask  the  students  to  meet  him  in  the  lecture  room  for  a talk  on  ethical 
or  moral  therapy.  Overflowing  with  the  milk  of  human  kindness  and  in- 
spired by  paternal  love  for  his  “boys,”  he  would  exhort  them  to  not  confine 
their  learning  to  the  cold  and  mathematical  facts  of  science,  but  to  draw 
from  the  legacy  of  wisdom  that  the  lowly  Nazarene  has  left  to  His  children 
lor  all  time  to  come.  Vesalius  was  wont  to  pray  before  he  invaded  the  sacred 
recesses  of  human  anatomy.  The  form  of  prayer  is  never  of  any  conse- 
quence, as  long  as  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man  is  the  subject  of 
thought,  word  or  action.  Anything  but  the  half  cynical,  half  blase  attitude 
of  some  modern  scientists  ! There  is  a religion  so  overwhelmingly  great 
that  it  can  not  be  cramped  into  the  childish  tenets  or  oldmaidish  supersti- 
tions of  any  creed  or  sect.  It  is  the  religion  of  truth  as  reflected  by  the 
cogitations  of  a level  head  and  sensations  of  a warm  heart.  The  science  of 
medicine  and  the  religion  of  philanthropy  fit  into  this  loosely  adjusted  frame 
very  comfortably.  Some  question  whether  there  is  any  common  sense  in 
religion.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  there  is  quite  a good  deal  of 
religion  in  common  sense.  Such  was  the  religion  of  John  King. 

A visible  testimony  on  behalf  of  the  veneration  in  which  John  King  is 
held,  is  a granite  monument  of  chaste  design  which  was  erected  June  16, 
1901,  at  North  Bend,  Ohio,  amid  a large  concourse  of  physicians,  and  marks 
the  place  where  the  remains  of  the  great  pharmacologist  lie.  John  Uri  Lloyd 


375 


who  when  a struggling  beginner,  was  a protege  of  John  King  and  is  best 
able  to  appreciate  the  worth  of  King’s  labors,  gave  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
of  his  book  ‘'On  the  Right  Side  of  the  Car”  to  the  committee  that  was  in 
charge  of  the  task  of  collecting  funds  for  the  monument.  If,  perchance,  a 
member  of  the  profession  should  pass  the  spot  where  John  King  rests  from 
his  toil,  let  him  pause  for  a moment  and  realize  how  the  lines  of  division 
between  different  “schools”  and  “systems”  grow  fainter  and  ultimately  dis- 
appear when  viewed  from  the  perspective  of  knowledge  and  humanity.  The 
only  lines  of  division  are  those  that  separate  the  aristocrats  of  mind  from  the 
vulgar  throng.  Work  well  performed,  after  all,  is  the  great  leveller  of 


Cincinnati  Ectectic  Medicae  Institute  (1872) 


schools  and  systems,  sects  and  creeds  in  medicine  and  in  religion.  What  we 
believe,  matters  not.  What  we  know,  is  of  some  importance.  What  we  do, 
is  the  only  thing  of  real  consequence.  In  dubiis  libertas,  in  certis  nnitas,  in 
omnibus  caritas! 

The  destruction  of  the  old  college  building  by  fire  November  20,  1869, 
proved  to  be  a blessing  in  disguise.  A handsomer  and  larger  building  arose 
in  its  place  and  was  formally  dedicated  in  1871.  The  Eclectic  Institute  pur- 
sued the  noiseless  tenor  of  its  way  under  the  masterful  regime  of  John  M. 
Scudder.  Its  classes  were  large  and  were  taught  by  an  energetic  and  united 
faculty.  The  institute  since  the  inception  of  its  new  era  (1862)  has  seen 
no  factional  strifes  of  any  consequence  and  has  experienced  no  moments  of 
bitterness  occasioned  by  the  altercations,  disagreements  or  jealousies  of  pro- 


376 


fessors.  In  this  respect  it  has  been  more  fortunate  than  other  medical  col- 
leges in  Cincinnati.  The  Eclectic  Institute,  according  to  the  report  on 
Educational  Institutions  (1885),  headed  the  list  of  medical  colleges  of  the 
city  in  point  of  actual  benefit,  expressed  in  dollars  and  cents  which  it  con- 
ferred upon  the  community.  The  revenues  derived  by  the  city  from  the 
medical  colleges  were  classed  as  follows:  Eclectic  Medical  Institute,  $91,000; 
Medical  College  of  Ohio,  $84,800 ; Miami  Medical  College,  $50,000 ; Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  $19,500 ; Pulte  Medical  College, 
(Homoeopathic),  $24,000;  Physio-Medical  Institute,  $16,500;  Ohio  College  of 
Dental  Surgery,  $30,000.  In  1888  the  Institute  was  represented  at  the  Paris 
Exposition  and  in  recognition  of  the  excellent  showing  it  made,  received  a 
silver  medal  and  a diploma.  The  representation  consisted  of  a set  of  college 
announcements,  orders,  of  lectures,  a list  of  graduates,  bound  volumes  of  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Journal  and  eighteen  medical  text-books  written  by  mem- 
bers of  its  faculty.  The  total  number  of  physicians  who  were  trained  at  the 
Eclectic  Institute  since  1845  is  very  close  to  4,000.  About  13,000  students 
have  attended  the  institution. 

The  history  of  Eclecticism  in  Cincinnati  would  not  be  complete  without  a 
reference  to  at  least  seven  other  men  who  have  been  pillars  of  strength  to 
its  cause  and  to  the  great  city  whose  local  citizens  and  shining  ornaments 
they  have  been.  These  seven  men  are  A.  J.  Howe,  surgeon,  naturalist  and 
versatile  writer;  Edwin  Ereeman,  anatomist  and  surgeon,  Frederick  John 
Locke,  splendid  general  practitioner,  patriot,  soldier  and  lovable  gentleman ; 
J.  A.  Jeangon,  naturalist,  linguist  and  scholar;  W.  S.  Merrell,  chemist  and 
pharmacologist;  K.  O.  Foltz,  laryngologist,  and — last,  but  not  least — J.  U. 
Lloyd,  author  and  scientist. 

ANDREW  JACKSON  HOWE  was  born  in  Paxton,  Mass.,  April  14, 
1825.  His  early  youth  was  spent  on  his  father’s  farm.  It  was  here  where 
that  tender  and  intelligent  devotion  to  nature  which  was  such  a character- 
istic trait  of  the  mature  man,  was  developed.  After  a few  years  at  Leicester 
Academy  young  Howe  went  to  Harvard  where  he  became  the  pupil  and 
friend  of  Louis  Agassiz.  After  taking  his  baccalaureate  degree  at  Harvard, 
he  attended  medical  lectures  at  Jefferson,  at  the  New  York  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  and  at  the  Worcester  Medical  Institute.  At  the  latter 
institution  he  took  his  degree  in  medicine  and  subsequently  became  the  pro- 
fessor of  anatomy.  Dr.  Walter  Burnham,  the  professor  of  surgery,  had 
been  offered  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the  newly  organized  Cincinnati  Eclectic 
College  of  Medicine.  His  election  to  the  Massachusetts  Senate  prevented 
his  acceptance.  Howe  accepted  the  position  and  moved  to  Cincinnati  in  his 
place,  assuming  the  chair  of  surgery.  After  the  merging  of  the  school  into 
the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  in  1859,  he  became  professor  of 
anatomy  in  the  latter  institution,  and,  upon  the  resignation  of  Z.  Freeman 
in  1861,  its  professor  of  surgery.  He  held  this  post  until  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1892. 


377 


Howe  was  a bold,  indefatigable  and  successful  surgeon,  whose  reputa- 
tion extended  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  this  country.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Eclectic  school  looked  upon  him  as  the  foremost  surgeon  in  their 
ranks  and  depended  upon  his  judgment  and  skill  everywhere  and  at  all  times. 
During  his  long  and  eventful  surgical  career  he  visited  nearly  every  State 
in  the  Union  to  operate  on  surgical  cases  or  to  see  patients  in  consultation. 
In  this  respect  he  was  without  a doubt  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  sought 
after  American  surgeons  of  his  day.  Many  long  and  wearisome  trips  were 
made  in  the  interests  of  physicians  who  had  been  unfortunate  enough  to 
become  victims  of  malpractice  suits.  In  this  respect  physicians  of  all  schools 
were  alike  to  him.  He  was  always  ready  for  a battle  royal  with  those  wily 
gentlemen  of  the  legal  fraternity  who  exercise  their  talents  in  that  form  of 
blackmail  embodied  in  nine-tenths  of  all  damage  suits  against  physicians. 
Howe  was  of  gigantic  build  and  a man  of  almost  inexhaustible  endurance. 
This  enabled  him  to  do  a remarkable  amount  of  work,  much  of  which  in- 
volved great  physical  discomfort  and  labor.  He  had  the  respect  of  every 
physician  and  surgeon,  irrespective  of  school  affiliation.  Among  the  Ec- 
lectics he  was  the  one  great  towering  figure  in  surgery. 

In  spite  of  his  ceaseless  labors  as  a surgeon,  he  found  time  to  wield  the 
pen.  Aside  from  many  short  contributions  to  the  medical  press  he  gave  to 
the  profession  a number  of  practical  treatises  on  surgery  and  gynecology. 
“A  Treatise  on  Eractures  and  Dislocations”  appeared  in  1873.  “A  Manual 
of  Surgery  of  the  Eye,”  in  1874;  “Art  and  Science  of  Surgery,”  in  1876; 
“Operative  Gynecology,”  in  1890.  These  books  passed  through  many  edi- 
tions. 

Howe  was  not  only  a surgeon  or  a surgical  writer.  He  was  an  enthu- 
siastic naturalist.  His  work  as  an  active  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Natural 
History  Society  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  He  believed  in  the  educational 
value  of  natural  history  as  a part  of  the  training  of  children.  To  instill  into 
children  that  love  for  and  devotion  to  Nature  which  in  and  of  itself  is  an 
education,  he  wrote  that  delightful  little  booklet  “Conversations  on  Animal 
Life.”  Unconsciously  he  sketched  his  own  great  and  yet  simple  soul  in 
the  lines  he  penned  for  children.  The  Cincinnati  Zoological  Garden  was 
always  the  recipient  of  tender  concern  at  the  hands  of  A.  J.  Howe.  His 
“Autopsy  of  an  Elephant”  was  widely  read.  He  was  interested  in  all  branches 
of  natural  history  and  science,  more  particularly  in  zoology  and  anthropology. 
A large  number  of  his  papers  and  essays  was  published  after  his  death  as 
“Miscellaneous  Papers.” 

Howe  took  a great  deal  of  interest  in  medical  history  and  historical  re- 
search. He  published  very  readable  sketches  of  John  Hunter  and  Nathan 
Smith.  A paper  that  attracted  considerable  attention  among  connoisseurs 
was  “The  Art  of  Ancient  and  Medieval  Rome.”  Many  of  his  shorter  sketches 
were  written  after  his  return  from  long  trips  and  contained  descriptions  of 
places  made  notable  by  historical  interest  or  by  great  natural  beauty.  Howe 

378 


possessed  the  gift  of  plastic  description  in  an  unusual  degree.  His  death 
in  1892  meant  an  irreparable  loss  to  the  Eclectic  school.  Howe  was  not 
only  a surgeon  and  surgical  writer  of  note,  but  an  erudite,  cultured  gentle- 
man of  vast  education  and  unusual  versatility. 


EDWIN  ER^EMAN,  like  his  elder  brother  Zoheth,  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia.  The  year  of  his  birth  was  1834.  After  attending  Gorham  College, 
he  studied  medicine  at  the  Eclectic  Institute,  graduating  in  1856.  He  was  a 
student  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  for  one  term.  He  located  in  Cincin- 
nati, was  made  demonstrator  of  anatomy  at  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  in 
1857,  professor  of  anatomy  in  1859.  When  the  war  broke  out,  he  joined  a 
regiment  of  Cincinnati  ‘‘squirrel-hunters”  as  assistant  surgeon.  The  danger 
of  Kirby  Smith’s  raid  having  passed,  Ereeman  returned  to  Cincinnati  and 
answered  the  call  of  the  Government  for  medical  officers.  His  application 
was  refused  because  he  came  from  the  Eclectic  school.  Undismayed  he 
repaired  to  Washington,  appealed  to  Salmon  P.  Chase,  passed  the  medical 
examination  for  the  army  and  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of  volun- 
teers. He  was  assigned  to  the  Light  Artillery,  Second  Division,  Ninth 
Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  saw  four  years  of  hard  service  and  left 
the  army  in  1864  with  the  rank  of  surgeon.  He  located  in  New  York  and  be- 
came a professor  in  the  New  York  Eclectic  Medical  College.  In  1871  he  again 
became  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute. 
Pie  delivered  courses  of  topographical  anatomy  in  the  Cincinnati  Art  School. 
In  1887  he  removed  to  California  on  account  of  ill  health,  returned  to  Cin- 
cinnati in  1892  when  he  was  made  professor  of  surgery.  He  became  an 
emeritus  in  1899  and  died  in  1904.  He  was  a good  operator  and  an  excel- 
lent anatomist. 


EREDERICK  JOHN  LOCKE  was  born  in  London,  England,  in  1829. 
He  was  educated  at  Christ’s  College,  Newgate  Street,  and  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Here  he  continued  his  medical 
studies  which  he  had  begun  in  England,  graduating  from  the  Eclectic  Med- 
ical Institute  in  1854.  He  was  practicing  in  Pike  County,  Ohio,  when  the 
war  broke  out.  He  entered  the  service  in  August,  1861,  as  captain  of  Com- 
pany D,  33d  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  made  a major  in  1862,  lieuten- 
ant-colonel in  1864.  . After  the  war  he  located  in  Newport,  Ky.,  as  a general 
practitioner  and  became  a popular  and  successful  physician.  In  1871  he 
was  made  professor  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  at  the  Eclectic  In- 
stitute. His  lectures  have  been  compiled  and  edited  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Felter, 
under  the  title  of  “Locke’s  Syllabus  of  Eclectic  Materia  Medica  and  Thera- 
peutics.” Locke  died  in  1903. 

During  his  long  and  intimate  association  with  the  Institute  his  personality 
added  much  to  its  tone  and  dignity.  He  was  distinctly  a “gentleman  of  the 


379 


old  school,”  courtly  and  dignified,  yet  easily  approached  and  always  affable. 
He  enjoyed  an  immense  popularity  among  the  students  and  alumni  of  the 
school  and  embodied  within  himself  the  best  type  of  its  scholarship. 

JOHN  ALLARD  JEANCON  was  a Frenchman  by  birth,  a German  by 
education,  a cosmopolitan  by  inclination  and  an  odd  genius  by  nature.  He 
was  born  -in  Cambray,  France,  in  1831  and  attended  school  in  Berlin,  Turin, 
Paris  and  London.  In  the  latter  place  he  studied  medicine.  He  heard  lec- 
tures at  the  Middlesex  Hospital  Medical  School  and  the  Royal  College  of. 
Surgeons.  He  graduated  in  1854  and  emigrated  to  America.  In  1861  he 
was  commissioned  assistant  surgeon  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  32d  Regiment, 
and  served  throughout  the  war.  He  got  his  honorable  discharge  in  1865  as  a 
regimental  surgeon.  He  was  badly  wounded  in  the  early  part  of  the  war. 
In  the  controversy  occasioned  by  and  following  Surgeon-General  Hammond’s 
manifesto  concerning  the  administration  of  calomel,  Jeancon  took  a prom- 
inent part.  His  report  about  the  calomel  question  was  a thorough  presenta- 
tion of  the  subject  and  excited  much  favorable  comment.  After  the  strug- 
gle between  the  States  he  located  in  Newport,  Ky.  In  1874  he  became  pro- 
fessor of  chemistry  at  the  Eclectic  Institute,  in  1878  professor  of  physiology, 
in  1891  professor  of  pathology,  in  1898  clinical  professor  of  genito-urinary 
surgery.  He  published  an  atlas  of  pathological  anatomy,  one  of  venereal 
diseases  and  a folding  manikin  of  the  human  body.  These  works, are  well 
known  and  have  lost  none  of  their  value.  Jeancon  died  in  1903. 

Jeancon  embodied  the  type  of  the  introspective,  self-absorbed  European 
scholar.  This  made  him  a recluse  and  prevented  the  profession  at  large 
from  knowing  much  about  his  splendid  scholarship  in  many  and  varied  lines 
of  knowledge.  He  was  a learned  man  in  the  most  exacting  sense  of  the 
word.  Statements  concerning  men  of  this  type  are  apt  to  be  visionary  and 
exaggerated.  Some  years  before  his  death  I became  acquainted  with  Jeancon 
and  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  frequently  invited  by  him.  At  the  time 
of  my  first  visit  he  was  engaged  in  some  literary  work,  the  nature  of  which 
he  had  betrayed  to  no  one.  After  we  had  become  better  acquainted,  he 
made  a confidant  of  me  and  read  to  me  from  the  manuscript  his  ‘'Commen- 
tary to  the  Second  Part  of  Goethe’s  Faust.”  It  was  written  in  German. 
On  another  occasion  I found  him  buried  among  stacks  of  old  Danish  books 
which  he  had  collected  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  He  was  writing  an 
English  essay  on  “The  Prototype  of  the  Character  of  Hamlet  in  Danish 
Folklore.”  He  was  a good  Danish,  Swedish  and  Norwegian  scholar.  His 
knowledge  of  German  and  German  literature  was  remarkable.  Strangely 
endligh,  he  spoke  French  with  a German  accent,  although  conversationally 
he  handled  it  better  than  either  German  or  English.  He  revered  Racine  and 
Moliere,  but  cordially  despised  the  modern  realists  like  Emile  Zola.  He 
was  ^ble  to  quote  from  Dante’s  Inferno,  Cicero’s  Orations,  Homer’s  Iliad 
by  the  page. 


380 


Jeancon  shunned  publicity  and  was  very  suspicious  of  strangers.  He 
cared  little  for  the  practice  of  medicine,  but  was  an  indefatigable  laboratory 
worker,  chemist,  physiologist,  microscopist,  medical  historian  and  bibli- 
ographer. One  can  hardly  repress  a melancholy  feeling  at  the  thought  of 
the  splendid  possibilities  of  his  magnificent  brain  and  how  little  the  world 
and  he  profited  by  them. 


There  is  one  name  that  will  always  be  remembered  in  connection  with 
the  growth  of  the  Eclectic  cause.  It  is  not  the  name  of  a physician,  but 
of  a distinguished  chemist  to  whom  the  credit  of  creating  and  establishing 
the  Eclectic  pharmacy  rightfully  belongs,  WILLIAM  STANLEY  MER- 
RELL.  He  was  born  in  Oneida  County,  New  York,  in  1797.  In  1823  he 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College  and  took  up  teaching  as  a profession. 
Einally  he  studied  medicine  and  pharmacy.  Doctor  Morrow,  then  in  charge 
of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Institute,  thought  so  well  of  Merrell  that  he  asked 
him  to  become  the  pharmacist  of  the  Institute  and  take  up  his  residence  in 
the  college  building.  Merrell  accepted  Morrow’s  proposition  and  became  the 
first  Eclectic  pharmacist  in  Cincinnati. 

His  researches  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  resins  and  resinoid  principles 
in  medicinal  plants.  Thus  he  became  the  first  exponent  of  alkaloidal  medi- 
cation. While  some  of  the  resins  and  alkaloids  were  also  independently  dis- 
covered by  others,  notably  John  King,  the  originality  and  priority  of  his 
work  has  never  been  questioned.  He  discovered  the  resins  of  mandrake, 
macrotin,  leptandrin,  iridin,  sanguinarin,  hydrastin  and  podophyllin. 

The  peculiar  and  variable  conduct  of  alcohol,  if  caused  to  act  upon  dif- 
ferent vegetable  and  animal  bodies  was  used  by  Merrell  as  a basis  for  the 
establishment  of  a new  series  of  fluid  medicines  which  would  not  allow  es- 
cape or  deterioration  of  the  volatile  elements,  resinoid  or  oleo-resinoid  prin- 
ciples of  the  crude  material.  He  classified  these  fluid  medicines  as  officinal 
and  essential  tinctures,  medicinal  syrups  and  alcoholic  extracts.  In  1862  the 
American  College  of  Medicine  in  Philadelphia  made  him  a Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine honoris  causa.  He  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1880.  Wilder,  in  his  '‘History 
of  Eclectic  Medicine,”  recognizes  the  positon  of  Wm.  S.  Merrell  as  the 
founder  of  the  Eclectic  pharmacopoeia.  Merrell  furnished  the  premises 
which  made  possible  the  pharmacological  work  of  King  and  Scudder. 


KENT  OSCANYAN  EOLTZ  was  born  in  Lafayette,  Ohio,  in  1857, 
attended  Buchtel  College,  was  engaged  in  conducting  a drug  and  chemical 
laboratory  in  New  York,  took  a course  in  medicine  at  the  Western  Reserve 
Medical  School  in  Cleveland  and  graduated  at  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Med- 
ical Institute  in  1886.  He  fitted  himself  for  special  work  by  post-graduate 
study  in  New  York  and  in  1898  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  ophthalmology 
and  laryngology  in  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  As  a clinical 


381 


teacher  he  enjoyed  a well-merited  reputation.  He  is  the  author  of  a “Manual 
of  Diseases  of  the  Eye”  and  a “Manual  of  Diseases  of  the  Ear,  Nose  and 
Throat.”  He  died  of  chronic  nephritis  in  1908. 

JOHN  EiRI  LLOYD  is  the  last  survivor  of  the  Old  Guard  that  built 
up  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute,  and,  under  the  leadership  of  J.  M.  Scudder, 
made  it  a medical  school  of  national  prominence.  It  is  a strange  but  pleas- 
ing circumstance  that  the  three  most  eminent  literary  men  in  the  local  pro- 
fession today  represent  the  three  great  schools  in  medicine.  The  Eclectics 
claim  John  Uri  Lloyd  as  one  of  their  own.  The  Homoeopaths  glory  in  the 
achievements  of  J.  D.  Buck.  The  remaining  one  in  this  trinity  of  great  lit- 
erary men  is  Thos.  C.  Minor. 

Lloyd  was  born  in  West  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.,  in  1849.  When  he  was  four 
years  of  age,  his  family  settled  in  Boone  County,  Kentucky.  Here  the  boy 
grew  up  amid  the  quaint  surroundings  which  he  later  in  life  pictured  so 
graphically  in  his  master  sketches  of  Kentucky  life  and  folklore.  He  at- 
tended the  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  entered 
the  drug  store  of  W.  J.  M.  Gordon  in  Cincinnati.  He  wanted  to  become  a 
chemist  and  pharmacist.  He  progressed  rapidly.  In  1871,  hardly  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  laboratory  of  H.  M.  Merrell  & 
Co.  In  1877  he  was  one  of  the  firm.  When  Mr.  Merrell  retired  in  1881, 
the  firm  re-organized  under  the  name  of  Thorpe  and  Lloyd  Brothers.  In 
1885  Doctor  Thorpe  retired  and  the  firm  became  Lloyd  Brothers  (John  Uri, 
Ashley  and  Curtis  G.).  Through  association  with  John  King,  Lloyd  had 
become  interested  in  Eclectic  preparations  and  accepted,  in  1878,  the  chair 
of  chemistry  and  pharmacy  in  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  Erom  1883 
to  1887  he  taught  chemistry  and  pharmacy  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Pharmacy.  Lloyd  has  been  a liberal  contributor  to  scientific  jour- 
nals, and  has  a national  reputation  as  an  authority  on  botanical  chemistry, 
active  principles  and  the  art  of  pharmacy. 

Lloyd’s  name  became  a household  word  a few  years  ago  when  his  “Eti- 
dorhpa  or  the  End  of  the  Earth,”  that  strange  product  of  weird  romance, 
appeared.  Interwoven  with  mysticism  and  occultism  are  speculative  fancies 
about  natural  philosophy  and  the  ever-present  and  never-explained  phe- 
nomena of  life  and  death,  all  presented  in  a strangely  fascinating  form.  As 
an  example  of  pure  English  diction  and  elegant  simplicity  of  style  “Eti- 
dorhpa”  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  The  early  impressions  of  the  days 'of 
childhood  in  old  Kentucky  are  beautifully  reproduced  in  his  “Stringtown  On 
the  Pike”  and  “Warwick  of  the  Knobs,”  simple  and  quaint  folklore*  stories 
of  the  South.  His  symbolic  sketch  “The  Right  Side  of  the  Car”  was  a 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  his  friend,  John  King,  inasmuch  as  the  proceeds 
from  the  sale  of  this  book  were  used  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a monument 
over  the  grave  of  the  great  pharmacologist  at  North  Bend.  Lloyd’s  ver- 
satility and  great  literary  ability  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  interesting 


382 


figures  in  modern  medical  Cincinnati.  He  has  been  the  recipient  of  many 
honors.  The  degree  of  Master  of  Pharmacy  was  conferred  upon  him  in 
1890  by  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy.  The  Ohio  University  has 
made  him  a Doctor  of  Philosophy.  A list  of  his  more  important  contribu- 
tions of  a strictly  scientific  character  are  given  in  the  last  chapter  of  this 
book. 

The  present  incumbents  of  chairs  in  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  In- 
stitute are:  Rolla  L.  Thomas  (practice),  Wm.  E.  Bloyer  (materia  medica), 
Lyman  Watkins  (physiology  and  pathology),  L.  E.  Russell  (surgery  and 
operative  gynecology),  J.  R.  Spencer  (obstetrics),  C.  G.  Smith  (chemistry), 
Herbert  E.  Sloan  (didactic  surgery),  W.  N.  Mundy  (pediatrics),  Thomas 
Bowles  (medical  gynecology),  B.  Van  Horn  (anatomy).  R.  L.  Thomas  is 
the  dean,  John  K.  Scudder  the  secretary  of  the  faculty.  The  erection  of  a 
modern  college  building  on  a lot  adjoining  Seton  Hospital  is  under  con- 
sideration at  present  (1909). 


383 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  PULTE  MEDICAL  COLLEGE 

The  pioneer  of  homoeopathy  in  America  was  Hans  Burch  Gram,  born 
in  Boston,  in  1788,  but  educated  in  Copenhagen,  where  he  success- 
fully practiced  medicine  until  his  fortieth  year.  He  had  become 
interested  in  homoeopathy  and  upon  his  removal  to  New  York  in  1825  estab- 
lished himself  as  a homoeopathic  practitioner.  The  so-called  Allentown  (Pa.) 
Academy,  the  first  school  of  homoeopathy  in  this  country,  was  chartered  in 
1836.  The  first  teachers  were  German  homoeopaths,  notably  Constantine 
Hering,  a pupil  of  Schoenlein,  of  Wurzburg,  and  the  teaching  was  in  the 
German  language.  In  the  course  of  time  the  cause  of  homoeopathy  gained 
many  supporters  and  friends,  and  hospitals  and  colleges  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests of  homoeopathic  teaching  and  practice  sprang  up  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  The  first  homoeopathic  practitioner  in  Ohio  was  a Doctor 
Cope  who  practiced  in  Richland  County,  and  was  known  as  a homoeopathic 
physician  as  early  ^s  1836.  Dr.  Storm  Rosa,  of  Painesville,  Ohio,  had  em- 
braced the  homoeopathic  faith  in  1841  and  in  1849  was  asked  to  lecture  on 
homoeopathy  in  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati.  He  thus  became 
the  first  teacher  of  homoeopathy  in  the  West.  About  the  same  time  the 
Cleveland  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  was  founded. 

Homoeopathy  .made  its  appearance  in  Cincinnati  in  1838  when  Dr.  WIL- 
HELM STURM  located  in  Cincinnati.  He  was  an  interesting  character, 
who  deserves  more  than  passing  notice.  Sturm  was  born  in  1796  near 
Leipsic,  and  received  a splendid  general  education.  In  1813  Napoleon  in- 
vaded Saxony  and  young  Sturm,  with  thousands  of  other  German  youths, 
was  compelled  to  enlist  for  service  in  Napoleon’s  army  against  Austria.  He 
was  wounded  on  the  heights  of  Wachau  and  for  several  weeks  confined  in  a 
military  hospital.  When  Erederick  William  HI  issued  his  famous  proclama- 
tion calling  on  all  loyal  Germans  to  join  in  an  attempt  to  drive  the  Erench 
usurper  out  of  Germany,  young  Sturm,  though  still  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  his  wounds,  responded  to  the  call  to  arms  and  joined  the  allied 
forces,  marching  with  them  to  Paris.  He  fought  at  Waterloo  and  in  1816 
resumed  his  studies.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  natural  sciences  and  medi- 
cine. He  graduated  in  medicine  in  1819  and  remained  in  Leipsic  in  the 
capacity  of  ‘‘Privatdozent,”  lecturing  on  anthropology.  In  Leipsic  he  met 
Samuel  Hahnemann  and  became  his  ardent  supporter.  In  1836  he  inter- 
rupted his  academic  career  to  see  the  world.  He  was  probably  influenced  in 


384 


his  desire  to  absent  himself,  by  the  prospects  of  a trial  for  treason.  He  had 
taken  part  in  political  agitation  and  had  become  persona  non  grata  with  the 
Prussian  Government.  He  left  for  the  United  States  in  1836  and  after  two 
years  of  sight-seeing,  located  in  Cincinnati"  in  1838.  The  previous  year, 
while  in  Detroit,  he  assisted  in  training  American  soldiers  for  the  frontier 
service.  He  met  Van  Buren  in  1838  and  became  his  steadfast  friend.  Sturm 
practiced  medicine  in  Cincinnati  from  1839  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1879. 
He  was  a familiar  figure  on  the  streets,  whose  military  bearing  and  splendid 
appearance  on  horseback  never  failed  to  excite  attention.  His  chivalry  to- 
wards women  and  fondness  for  children  were  well  known.  Sturm  was  mar- 
ried four  times  and  reared  nineteen  children.  He  was  a close  friend  of 
Murat  Halstead,  the  distinguished  journalist.  Sturm  Street,  on  Price  Hill, 
was  named  after  him. 

Within  two  years  after  Sturm’s  arrival  a second  follower  of  Hahnemann 
came  to  Cincinnati,  a man  who  combined  the  advantages  of  splendid  literary 
and  medical  training  with  great  ambition,  industry  and  energy,  JOSEPH  H. 
PULTE. 

Pulte  was  born  in  Meschede,  Westphalia,  Germany,  in  1811.  He  was 
the  son  of  a physician,  and  in  his  early  youth  received  a splendid  classical 
education  at  the  gymnasium  of  Soest.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Marburg  and  graduated  in  1833.  An  older  brother  had  previously 
emigrated  to  America  and  was  doing  well  in  Saint  Louis.  In  response  to 
his  brother’s  invitation  the  young  physician,  shortly  after  his  graduation, 
sailed  for  New  York,  expecting  to  eventually  Join  his  brother  in  St.  Louis. 
In  New  York  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  enthusiastic  homoeopath,  who 
succeeded  in  arousing  Pulte’s  interest  in  Hahnemann’s  system.  Pulte  was 
finally  won  over  and  became  an  ardent  supporter  of  homoeopathy.  He  helped 
to  organize  the  Allentown  Academy  and  remained  with  it  until  its  dissolution 
in  1840.  He  decided  to  locate  in  St.  Louis  and  wrote  his  brother  accordingly. 
He  stopped  ofif  at  Cincinnati,  to  oblige  some  fellow-passengers  who  had  made 
it  very  pleasant  for  him  during  the  long  and  tedious  journey  down  the  Ohio 
River.  He  was  induced  to  remain  a few  weeks  in  Cincinnati  and  saw  a 
good  many  patients  who  came  to  him  for  advice.  Believing  that  the  pros- 
pects were  good  and  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  exchange  his  good  chances 
in  Cincinnati  for  an  uncertainty  in  St.  Louis,  he  finally  decided  to  remain  in 
Cincinnati.  Pulte  was  a man  of  vast  knowledge  and  splendid  general  scholar- 
ship. In  1846  he  published  a “History  of  the  World”  which  found  favor  in 
the  eyes  of  such  men  as  Humboldt,  Bunsen,  Schelling  and  W.  C.  Bryant. 
In  1848  he  went  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  submitting  to  some  of  the 
Pluropean  governments  his  plan  of  encircling  the  globe  with  an  electric  tele- 
graph line.  His  idea  was  to  connect  North  America  and  Asia  via  Behring 
Straits.  His  plan  aroused  considerable  interest  ^ in  Europe,  but  was  con- 
sidered chimerical  and  impractical.  He  returned  to  America  and  plunged 
into  work  in  Cincinnati  where  the  Asiatic  cholera  was  raging.  In  1850  he 


385 


Benj.  Ehrmann 


J.  D.  Buck 


386 


Wm.  Owens 


published  his  first  medical  book,  “Domestic  Medicine,”  which  had  an  exten- 
sive sale.  It  was  translated  into  Spanish  and  was  re-published  in  London. 
In  1852,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  H.  P.  Gatchell,  he  began  the  publication  of 
the  “American  Magazine  of  Homoeopathy  and  Hydropathy,”  and  filled  the 
chair  of  clinical  medicine  and  later  on  that  of  obstetrics  in  the  Cleveland 
Homoeopathic  Medical  College.  In  1853  he  published  his  “Woman’s  Medical 
Guide,”  which  also  was  a great  success.  In  1855  he  was  the  principal  speaker 
at  the  Centennial  of  Hahnemann’s  birth,  celebrated  by  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homoeopathy  at  its  annual  meeting  in  Bufifalo.  In  the  town  of  his 
adoption  Pulte  was  much  esteemed  as  a scholarly  and  public-spirited  man. 
He  was  a poet  of  much  native  talent,  as  shown  by  some  of  his  German  verses 
that  were  published  by  him  at  various  times.  Incidentally  he  had  been  a very 
successful  man  in  a material  sense. 

In  1872  Drs.  J.  D.  Buck  and  D.  H Beckwith  who  had  been  connected 
with  the  homoeopathic  college  in  Cleveland,  came  to  Cincinnati  and  decided 
to  start  a medical  college  for  the  teaching  of  Hahnemann’s  system.  They 
succeeded  in  interesting  Doctor  Pulte  who  had  become  wealthy  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  and  elicited  from  him  the  promise  of  substantial  financial  aid. 
A building  previously  occupied  by  Maxwell’s  Academy  for  Young  Women  and 
located  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Seventh  and  Mound  Streets  was  pur- 
chased for  $40,000  and  the  new  college  put  into  operation,  named  Pulte  Med- 
ical College,  in  honor  of  Joseph  H.  Pulte. 

The  first  session  was  begun  in  the  Fall  of  1872.  The  faculty  was  com- 
posed of  the  following:  J.  H.  Pulte  (clinical  medicine),  M.  H.  Slosson  (in- 
stitutes and  practice  of  medicine),  Charles  Cropper  (materia  medica),  Wil- 
liam H.  Hunt  (obstetrics),  T.  C.  Bradford  (gynecology),  D.  H.  Beckwith 
(diseases  of  children),  C.  C.  Bronson  (principles  of  surgery  and  surgical 
pathology),  S.  R.  Beckwith  (operative  surgery),  D.  W.  Hartshorn  (surgical 
anatomy  and  orthopedic  surgery),  William  Owens  (anatomy),  J.  D.  Buck 
(physiology,  pathology  and  microscopy),  G.  Saal  (toxicology  and  hygiene), 
George  R.  Sage  (medical  jurisprudence),  N.  F.  Cooke  (special  pathology 
and  diagnosis),  T.  P.  Wilson  (ophthalmic  surgery  and  aural  surgery),  and 
Emil  Loescher  (chemistry). 

The  early  career  of  the  institution  was  beset  with  many  difficulties  and 
entanglements  arising  from  the  fact  that  the  financial  help  which  Pulte  was 
expected  to  render  was  not  forthcoming.  The  property  was  twice  sold  by  the 
sheriff  but  eventually  saved  for  the  college,  mainly  through  the  efforts  of 
Dr.  William  Owens,  professor  of  anatomy.  The  first  class  consisted  of 
thirty-eight  matriculates,  out  of  whom  twelve  graduated.  In  July,  1901,  the 
upper  story  of  the  college  building  was  destroyed  by  fire.  This  furnished 
the  opportunity  to  remodel  the  entire  structure  and  make  of  it  a combined 
college  and  hospital.  Several  wards  and  single  rooms  and  a fine  operating 
room  were  provided.  This  improvement  greatly  enlarged  the  clinical  ad- 
vantages of  the  college,  which  already  had  the  control  of  the  Home  for  the 


387 


Friendless  and  Foundlings,  for  obstetric  and  pediatric  work,  and  the  Bethesda 
Hospital.  Some  years  ago  Pulte  College,  for  the  second  time,  experienced 
the  keen  disappointment  of  blasted  financial  expectation.  A friend  of  the 
institution  made  the  munificent  bequest  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  but 
unfortunately,  he  died  within  a year  after  his  will  was  made.  Under  the 
Ohio  Statutes,  the  bequest  was  void.  Some  compensation  for  this  great 
loss  was  furnished  by  the  testator’s  sister,  who  made  an  endowment  of 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  which  was  made  operative  in  1904.  Pulte 
Medical  College  has  educated  nearly  seven  hundred  physicians.  The  man 
whose  name  is  perpetuated  by  the  name  of  the  institution,  died  in  Cincin- 
nati in  1884. 


PurTE  Medicae  Coelege 


Homoeopathy  in  Cincinnati  has  been  represented  by  some  very  eminent 
men.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  advocates  of  Hahnemann  was  BEN- 
JAMIN EHRMANN,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of  Jagsthausen,  Germany, 
in  1812.  His  father  and  grandfather  were  physicians.  He  was  a frail  young 
man,  and,  acting  on  the  advice  of  several  physicians,  gave  up  his  studies 
temporarily  and  sailed  for  America.  He  was  tempted  to  attend  lectures  in 
Philadelphia,  and,  becoming  interested  in  homoeopathy,  went  to  Allentown 
and  matriculated  at  the  Academy.  He  graduated  there  in  1837.  He  began 
to  practice  in  Harrisburg  and  later  on  moved  to  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  where  he 
met  Joseph  H.  Pulte,  who  induced  him  to  locate  in  Cincinnati.  He  did  so  in 
1847  and  became  Pulte’s  partner.  He  was  an  exponent  of  Hahnemannian 
homoeopathy,  and  was  for  years  one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  of  the 
city.  He  died  in  1886. 


388 


S.  R.  BECKWITH  was  born  in  Bronson,  Ohio,  in  1832.  He  studied 
medicine  in  Cleveland  and  New  York  and  located  in  Norwalk,  Ohio.  He 
was  appointed  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Cleveland  Homoeopathic  Medical 
College.  In  1870  he  located  in  Cincinnati  and  did  a good  deal  of  surgical 
work.  He  had  in  1870  a record  of  fifty-eight  cases  of  abdominal  section 
with  but  four  deaths.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Pulte  Medical 
College  and  its  first  professor  of  surgery.  He  is  the  founder  and  was  the 
first  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  Sanitarium,  located  in  College  Hill, 
and  also  the  author  of  a text-book  of  surgery.  He  died  in  Cleveland  in  1906. 

D.  H.  BECKWITH,  born  in  Bronson,  Ohio,  in  1826,  attended  lectures 
at  the  Cleveland  Medical  College  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  and  Eastern 
College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in 
1851.  He  practiced  in  Norwalk,  Marietta,  Zanesville  and  finally  Cleveland. 
In  1872  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  Pulte  Medical  College  and  became 
its  first  professor  of  pediatrics.  Later  on  he  removed  to  Cleveland. 

ISIDORICH  EHRMANN  was  an  older  brother  of  Benjamin  Ehrmann. 
He  received  his  medical  education  at  the  University  of  Tuebingen  and  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1833.  He  practiced  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  Baltimore  and 
Buffalo.  Subsequently  he  joined  his  brother  in  Cincinnati  and  rose  to  great 
prominence  as  a practitioner.  He  died  in  1890. 

GERHARD  SAAL  was  born  and  educated  in  Germany.  He  emigrated 
to  America  in  1846,  took  up  and  practiced  homoeopathy  in  Springfield,  Ohio, 
moved  to  Cincinnati  in  1852  and  built  up  a commanding  practice  among 
the  better  class  of  German  people.  He  was  universally  respected  as  a man 
of  profound  learning.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Pulte  Medical  College 
and  its  first  professor  of  clinical  medicine  and  hygiene.  He  died  in  1873. 

WM.  OWENS  was  born  in  Warren,  Ohio,  in  1823.  His  early  education 
was  meager.  He  subsequently  made  up  for  the  deficiencies  of  his  early  youth 
by  attending  Woodward  College  and  by  extensive  travel.  He  served  through 
the  Mexican  War,  and,  after  being  mustered  out  at  the  end  of  the  war,  went 
to  work  in  a drug  store.  He  managed  to  attend  lectures  in  the  Eclectic 
Medical  Institute  and  graduated  in  1849.  He  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy 
in  this  school  during  the  following  term  and  filled  the  same  position  in 
1851-’52  in  the  Cleveland  Homoeopathic  Medical  College.  He  served  during 
the  Civil  War  as  a lieutenant,  later  a captain  of  cavalry.  He  got  his  hon- 
orable discharge  in  1865  and  entered  medical  practice  in  Cincinnati.  In 
1872  he  became  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  newly  founded  Pulte  Medical 
College.  After  two  years  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica 
and  therapeutics.  During  the  financial  troubles  of  the  college  Owens  rep- 
resented the  interests  of  the  institution  in  an  action  against  the  estate  of 


389 


J.  H.  Pulte.  His  tact  and  splendid  administrative  ability  made  a compromise 
possible  which  secured  for  the  college  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  sum  which 
Pulte  had  originally  promised  to  contribute  when  the  college  building  was 
purchased.  Pulte  had  made  his  promise  in  good  faith,  but  broke  down  in 
health  of  body  and  mind  before  he  had  a chance  to  execute  his  good  inten- 
tions. This  led  to  a great  deal  of  confusion  and  contention.  The  final 
adjustment  of  the  difficulty  was  largely  Owens’  work.  He  died  in  1897. 


D.  W.  HARTSHORN,  one  of  the  founders  of  Pulte  Medical  College 
and  for  nearly  twenty  years  connected  with  the  chair  of  anatomy  and  later 
on  tha*t  of  surgery,  was  born  at  Walpole,  Mass.,  in  1827.  He  received  his 
medical  education  at  Harvard  Medical  School,  graduating  in  185-1.  In  1857 
he  located  in  Urbana,  Ohio.  During  the  war  he  served  in  the  capacity  of 
surgeon  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  later  on  as  medical  director  on  Gen- 
eral Sherman’s  stall,  and  assistant  medical  director  on  General  Grant’s  staff. 
He  was  compelled  to  resign  in  1864  because  of  physical  disability,  and  lo- 
cated in  Cincinnati  in  1865.  He  died  in  1907. 


JIRAH  D.  BUCK,  born  in  Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  in  1838,  received  his  early 
education  at  Belvidere  (N.  Y.)  Academy  and  the  Janesville  (Wis.)  Academy. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  had  to  earn  his  own  living.  In  the  Winter  he 
taught  school  and  in  the  Summertime  he  worked  as  a lumberman  in  the 
woods.  The  latter  occupation  was  chosen  with  a view  of  improving  his 
health  which  was  poor.  In  1861  he  enlisted  but  his  health  broke  down.  He 
lay  at  Camp  Benton,  Mo.,  for  three  months,  and,  being  honorably  discharged, 
he  returned  to  teaching  school  and  in  1862  began  the  study  of  medicine.  He 
attended  Hahnemann  Medical  College  in  Chicago  and  the  Homoeopathic 
College  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  1864. 
He  began  to  practice  at  Sandusky  and  at  the  same  time  filled  the  chair  of 
physiology  and  histology  at  the  Homoeopathic  College  of  Cleveland.  In  1870 
he  removed  to  Cincinnati  and  two  years  later  was  chiefly  instrumental  in 
the  founding  of  Pulte  Medical  College.  He  was  elected  its  professor  of 
physiology  and  histology.  In  1880  he  became  its  professor  of  theory  and 
practice.  He  has  been  very  active  in  the  doings  of  the  homoeopathic  pro- 
fession, and  is  one  of  its  most  scholarly  and  eminent  representatives.  In  1890 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy. 

Buck  has  been  an  earnest  student  of  psychology  and  has  achieved  a na- 
tional reputation  as  an  exponent  of  the  Vedic  philosophy  embodied  in  the 
teachings  of  the  theosophists.  He  has  been  a conspicuous  figure  at  national 
and  international  gatherings  of  theosophists  and  is  today  the  acknowledged 
intellectual  head  of  the  American  Theosophical  Society.  His  “Study  of 
Man”  embraces  the  principles  of  health-culture.  His  “Mystic  Masonry” 
deals  with  the  meaning  of  the  ancient  mysticism  from  which  the  Masonic 


390 


idea  was  evolved.  An  exposition  of  the  purposes  of  freemasonry  is  em- 
bodied in  his  '‘Genius  of  Freemasonry.”  His  book  on  "Constructive 
Psychology”  deals  with  the  building  up  of  mind  and  character  by  personal 
effort. 

The  present  faculty  of  the  Pulte  Medical  College  consists  of  the  follow- 
ing professors : 

C.  E.  Walton  (operative  surgery  and  gynecology),  W.  A.  Geohegan 
(practice),  H.  H.  Wiggers  (principles  of  surgery),  A.  L.  McCormick  (ob- 
stetrics), Thos.  M.  Stewart  (ophthalmology),  F.  W.  Fischbach  (neurology), 
S.  R.  Geiser  (materia  medica),  Henry  Snow  (physical  diagnosis),  Lincoln 
Phillips  (pediatrics),  P.  T.  Kilgour  (practice),  Chas.  R.  Buck  (physiology), 
R.  G.  Reed  (otology),  W.  H.  Smith  (chemistry),  C.  N.  Cooper  (materia 
medica),  W.  F.  Reilly  (rhinology  and  laryngology),  W.  T.  Findley  (prac- 
tice), Wm.  G.  Hier  (hygiene),  E.  S.  Wiggers  (practice),  Ida  E.  McCormick 
(bacteriology  and  pathology),  J.  H.  Wilms  (anatomy).  The  retired  profes- 
sors are  C.  D.  Crank  and  J.  D.  Buck. 


391 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  “RESURRECTIONISTS.” 

The  study  of  practical  anatomy,  including  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
of  securing  material  for  dissection,  is  the  one  feature  of  the  medical 
life  of  the  past  which  has  a distinctly  historical  flavor.  The  medical 
student  of  today  enters  a well-appointed  dissecting  room,  finds  the  cadaver 
prepared  and  the  environment  as  hygienic  and  comfortable  as  the  circum- 
stances will  permit.  He  can  hardly  realize  that  the  study  of  practical 
anatomy  half  a century  or  more  ago  was  cultivated  at  the  risk  of  personal 
safety  and  often  of  life.  Many  a solemn  procession  wound  its  way  to  the 
churchyard  to  restore  to  the  embrace  of  Mother  Earth  the  remains  of  some 
departed  denizen  of  the  town  or  village.  But  those  who  had  gathered  around 
the  open  grave  to  listen  to  the  last  farewell  spoken  by  priest  or  preacher,  were 
not  all  mourners.  There  were  some  in  that  sombre  assembly  who  thought 
not  of  the  dead  but  of  the  living  and  had  come  thither  in  the  interests  of 
the  knowledge  of  life  and  of  the  art  of  preserving  it.  These  interested  spec- 
tators were  the  professional  or  amateur  ‘‘resurrectionists”  who  were  ready 
to  make  the  mortal  coil  of  the  departed  perform  a post-mortem  duty  on 
behalf  of  those  who  believe  that  the  study  of  anatomy  is  real  and  earnest, 
and,  therefore,  the  grave  should  not  be  the  goal  of  a good  anatomical  sub- 
ject. In  the  eternal  fitness  of  things,  many  a man  or  woman  was  given  a 
chance  to  redeem  by  such  post-mortem  service  the  emptiness  of  all  the  years 
which  preceded  the  final  march  to  the  grave. 

Chronologically  the  amateur  “resurrectionist”  preceded  the  professional 
procurer  of  dissecting  material.  Before  1825  the  students  were  required  to 
take  part  in  graveyard  excursions,  arranged  and  personally  conducted  by 
the  professor  of  anatomy  or  other  members  of  the  faculty.  When  medical 
colleges  sprang  up  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  there  was  a regular 
demand  for  subjects  for  dissection,  and,  as  a natural  result,  the  professional 
“resurrectionist”  established  himself  to  meet  the  demand.  He  had  his  reg- 
ular customers  with  whom  he  made  a contract  in  regard  to  the  number  of 
subjects  and  the  price  he  was  to  receive.  The  ordinary  amount  paid  was 
$10  for  a body.  Sometimes  he  would  receive  more,  depending  on  the  fluctua- 
tions of  the  market.  Professional  “resurrectionists”  in  Cincinnati  were  doing 
business  about  1830  when  the  professors  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
arranged  with  one  or  two  of  them  to  furnish  bodies  for  dissection.  This 
did  not  deter  the  students  from  procuring  additional  material.  John  T.  Shot- 


392 


well  was  always  called  Professor  Wellshot  by  the  students,  in  pleasant  re- 
membrance of  an  occurrence  that  marred  a body-snatching  expedition  in 
which  Shotwell  had  participated.  One  of  the  best  known  medical  teachers 
of  recent  years,  in  fact,  the  dean  of  a medical  college,  was  shot  at  while  on  a 
visit  to  Potter’s  Field  (now  Lincoln  Park),  and,  as  a result,  limped  through 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  dangers  of  these  expeditions  have  been  re- 
ferred to  in  the  biographical  sketches  of  Wm.  Goforth,  Josiah  Whitman  and 
T.  V.  Morrow. 

Many  a weird  romance  is  told  of  the  ‘‘resurrectionist”  as  he  plies  his 
ghastly  trade  by  the  pale  light  of  the  moon  or  when  the  leaden  clouds  of 
the  Winter  sky  make  the  night  seem  colder  and  lonelier.  Joseph  Nash  Mc- 
Dowell, Drake’s  brother-in-law,  was  a great  anatomist  and  ever  on  the  alert 
when  there  was  a chance  to  get  a good  specimen  for  dissection.  Strangely 
enough,  he  was  a spiritualist.  One  day  he  was  told  that  a girl  had  died 
with  a very  unusual  disease.  He  at  once  determined  to  get  her  body.  He 
started  out  with  two  of  his  students  and,  at  the  first  break  of  day,  he  de- 
posited the  body  in  the  college.  The  matter  leaked  out  and  he  was  informed 
that  the  friends  of  the  dead  girl  would  call  at  the  college,  get  the  body  back 
and,  incidentally,  make  it  hot  for  him.  To  forestall  matters,  he  decided  to 
hide  the  body,  and  went  to  the  college  at  11  o’clock.  All  was  quiet.  He 
went  through  the  dissecting  room  with  a small  lantern  in  his  hand.  He 
picked  up  the  cadaver,  and,  after  throwing  it  over  his  shoulder,  proceeded  to 
carry  it  to  the  top  loft  to  hide  it  between  the  rafters.-  The  rest  of  this  strange 
story  is  best  told  in  his  own  words : 

“I  had  ascended  one  flight  of  stairs  when  out  went  my  lamp.  I laid  down  the 
corpse  and  re-struck  a light.  I then  picked  up  the  body,  when  out  went  my  light  again. 
I felt  for  another  match  in  my  pocket,  when  I distinctly  saw  my  dear,  old  mother  who 
had  been  dead  these  many  years,  standing  a little  distance  off,  beckoning  to  me.” 

“In  the  middle  of  the  passage  was  a window ; I saw  her  rise  in  front  of  it.  I 
walked  along  close  to  the  wall,  with  the  corpse  over  my  shoulder,  and  went  to  the  top- 
loft  and  hid  it.  I came  down  in  the  dark,  for  I knew  the  way  well ; as  I reached  the 
window  in  the  passage,  there  were  two’  men  talking,  one  had  a shotgun,  the  other  a 
revolver.  I kept  close  to  the  wall  and  slid  down  the  stairs.  When  I got  to  the  dis- 
secting-room door,  I looked  down  the  stairs  into  the  hallway : there  I saw  five  or  six 
men  lighting  a lamp.  I hesitated  a moment  as  to  what  I should  do,  as  I had  left 
my  pistols  in  my  pocket  in  the  dissecting-room  when  I took  the  body.  I looked  in  the 
room,  as  it  was  my  only  chance  to  get  away,  when  I saw  my  spirit  mother  standing 
near  the  table  from  which  I had  just  taken  the  corpse.  I had  no  light,  but  the  halo 
that  surrounded  my  mother  was  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  see  the  table  quite  plainly. 

“I  heard  the  men  coming  up  the  stairs.  I laid  down  whence  I had  taken  the  body 
and  pulled  a cloth  over  my  face  to  hide  it.  The  men  came  in,  all  of  them  being  armed, 
to  look  at  the  dead.  They  uncovered  one  body, — it  was  that  of  a man,  the  next  a 
man ; then  they  came  to  two  women  with  black  hair, — the  girl  they  were  looking  for 
had  flaxen  hair.  Then  they  passed  me;  one  man  said:  ‘Here  is  a fellow  who  died  in 
his  boots ; I guess  he  is  a fresh  one.’ 

“I  laid  like  marble.  I thought  I would  jump  up  and  frighten  them,  but  I heard  a 
voice,  soft  and  low,  dose  to  my  ear,  say,  ‘Be  still,  be  still.’  The  men  went  over  the 


393 


building,  and  finally  downstairs.  I waited  awhile,  then  slipped  out.  At  the  next  street 
corner,  I heard  three  men  talking ; they  took  no  notice  of  me,  and  I went  home. 

“Early  in  the  morning  I went  to  the  college  and  found  everything  all  right.  We 
dissected  the  body,  buried  the  fragments  and  had  no  further  trouble.” 

McDowell  was  a strange  man.  He  often  did  things  that  were  almost 
sublime  in  their  heroism  and,  yet,  at  heart  he  was  a coward.  One  day  his 
students  prepared  to  play  a trick  on  him.  They  had  exhumed  a body  and 
had  placed  it  in  a covered  wagon,  leisurely  driving  towards  town.  McDowell 
sat  with  the  driver.  It  began  to  rain  and  from  time  to  time  the  rumbling  of 
distant  thunder  could  be  heard.  McDowell  was  afraid  of  thunder  storms  and 
was  getting  very  uneasy,  when  suddenly  there  was  a sharp  report  of  a 
shot.  McDowell  looked  around  and  saw  the  dead  man  sitting  up  in  the 
wagon,  his  white,  bony  fingers  holding  a pistol.  This  was  too  much. 
McDowell  jumped  out  of  the  wagon  and  ran  in  a drenching  rain  as  fast  as 
his  feet  would  carry  him.  When  he  appeared  before  the  class  the  next  day, 
he  told  a wonderful  story  about  exhuming  a body  and  being  shot  at.  He 
told  the  students  that  in  spite  of  the  rain  and  the  distance,  he  had  jumped 
from  the  wagon  and  had  pursued  the  cowardly  assailant.  The  students  ap- 
plauded and  cheered,  McDowell  receiving  the  ovation  with  many  smiles  and 
bows  of  acknowledgment.  It  never  occurred  to  him  that  the  ovation  was  a 
part  of  the  hoax  that  had  been  played. 

M.  B.  Wright  tells  the  following  story  about  one  of  his  body-snatching 
adventures : 

“I  was  one  of  four  who  had  agreed  to  exhume  the  body  of  a man  of  immense  size. 
After  procuring  the  necessary  pick  and  spades,  rope  and  sack,  we  proceeded  to  the 
designated  place  of  burial.  But  the  light  from  the  surounding  windows  fell  brightly 
upon  the  tomb-stones,  and  rendered  it  unsafe,  at  so  early  an  hour,  to  engage  in  the 
execution  of  our  task.  Wrapped  in  our  cloaks,  we  lay  concealed  in  the  dark  shadows 
of  the  church,  until  after  midnight.  Then  we  assumed  the  duties  assigned  us.  One 
was  stationed  at  the  entrance,  another  at  the  outlet  of  the  graveyard,  as  sentinels, 
while  a third  and  myself  commenced  the  digging.  No  countersign  was  given  of  ap- 
proaching danger,  until  we  had  reached  the  lid  of  the  coffin.  It  was  made  of  thick 
boards,  and  fastened  with  long  screws,  so  that  much  force  was  required  to  break  it. 
It  gave  way  with  a loud  noise,  which  resounded  from  house  to  house,  and  roused  the 
faithful  watch-dogs  from  their  slumbers.  A general  barking  ensued,  lamps  were 
lighted,  and  forms  were  dimly  seen,  passing  the  windows.  Not  a footstep,  however, 
was  heard  approaching  us,  and  we  returned  to  our  labour,  which  had  been  temporarily 
suspended.  A rope  was  fastened  around  the  neck  of  the  corpse,  and,  after  much  and 
long-continued  effort,  it  was  dragged  from  its  resting-place.  We  had  not  gone  far 
with  our  burden,  when,  as  we  turned  a corner,  a man  came  suddenly  upon  us.  We 
did  not  falter,  for  we  discovered  at  once  that  he  was  a staggering  drunkard.  At  length 
we  became  weary,  and  transferred  our  load  to  a wheelbarrow,  which  we  found  after 
much  search  under  a woodshed.  It  gave  a relief  to  our  shoulders,  but  the  noise  of 
its  rusty  axle  grated  harshly  upon  our  ears.  Daylight  was  fast  approaching,  smoke 
was  issuing  from  many  a chimney,  the  butcher’s  wagon  was  passing  on  its  way  to  the 
market,  and  every  step  we  took  was  attended  with  hazard.  In  sight  of  home  we  came 
to  a halt.  ‘Doctors,  what  have  you  there?’  inquired  one  gruffly.  With  our  hearts  in 


394 


oiir  throats,  we  fell  back  a short  distance,  and  watched  the  movements  of  the  intruder. 
We  saw  him  lift  the  sack,  and  place  his  hand  upon  its  cold,  human  contents— we  saw 
him  start — shudder — and,  with  uplifted  hands,  run  until  out  of  sight.  We  seized  this 
as  the  only  favorable  moment  of  escape,  and  carrying  our  treasure  with  us,  reached  the 
place  which  had  been  prepared  for  our  reception.” 

The  man  about  whom  more  graveyard  stories  have  been  told  than  about 
any  other  “resurrectionist,”  was  “Old  Cunny,”  the  prince  of  ghouls,  who 
in  his  day  was  known  to  every  person  in  this  part  of  the  country,  at  least 
by  name.  He  was  the  bogyman  for  all  ill-behaved  children.  He  was  popularly 
called  “Old  Man  Dead.”  His  real  name  was  William  Cunningham.  He 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1807.  He  was  a big,  raw-boned  individual,  with 
muscles  like  Hercules,  and  a protruding  lower  jaw,  a ghoul  by  vocation,  a 
drunkard  by  habit  and  a coward  by  nature.  His  wife  was  a bony,  brawny, 
square-jawed  Irish  woman,  with  a mouth  like  an  alligator.  Both  had  a tre- 
mendous appetite  for  whiskey.  Cunny  had  sold  his  own  body  to  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  When  he  died  of  heart  trouble  in  1871,  the  body  was 
turned  over  to  the  college.  Mrs.  Cunningham,  the  bereaved  widow,  man- 
aged to  get  an  additional  $5  bill  for  the  giant  carcass  of  her  deceased  spouse. 
The  skeleton  of  “Old  Cunny”  is  to  this  day  the  piece  dc  resistance  in  the 
Museum  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio. 

One  of  the  older  doctors  who  knew  Cunny  in  a business  way,  when  in- 
terrogated about  this  interesting  personage,  grew  reminiscent,  and  gave  the 
following  account  of  him : 

“Cunny  was  an  expert  in  his  business.  I have  seen  him  operate  and  can  testify 
to  his  skill.  He  would  dig  a hole  about  two  feet  square  right  over  the  head  of  the 
coffin.  When  he  got  down  to  the  cofhn,  he  would  break  out  the  coffin-head,  fasten 
big  hooks  to  which  strong  ropes  were  attached,  under  the  arms  of  the  corpse  and  pull 
the  latter  out  by  main  force.  Usually  he  took  the  body  to  town  in  a buggy.  One 
night  I met  Cunny  driving  into  town.  There  was  a corpse  sitting  in  the  buggy  on  the 
seat  beside  him.  The  corpse  was  dressed  up  in  an  old  coat,  vest  and  hat.  Cunny  held 
the  reins  in  his  right  hand  while  he  steadied  the  corpse  with  his  left  arm  around  the 
waist  of  his  silent  companion.  Every  now  and  then  the  upper  part  of  the  corpse  gravi- 
tated forward  and  downward.  Whenever  people  passed,  Cunny  would  slap  his  inof- 
fensive partner  in  the  face  and  say  to  him:  ‘Sit  up!  This  is  the  last  time  I am  going 
to  take  you  home  when  you  get  drunk.  The  idea  of  a man  with  a family  disgracing 
himself  in  this  way !’  With  such  words  and  a few  picturesque  phrases  by  way  of  em- 
phasis and  rhetorical  decoration,  Cunny  kept  people  from  guessing  the  truth.  In  spite 
of  his  precautions  he  was  peppered  with  buckshot  more  than  once.  His  ghoulish  nature 
was  well  shown  when  he  took  a horrible  revenge  on  a few  students  who  had  played 
some  sort  of  a trick  on  him.  He  dug  up  the  body  of  a small-pox  victim  and  succeeded 
in  infecting  many  of  the  students  with  the  terrible  disease.” 

The  “resurrectionists”  passed  into  history  in  1880,  when  the  Legislature 
enacted  a law  pertaining  to  the  dissection  of  dead  bodies  in  medical  colleges. 
The  profession  had  repeatedly  asked  for  such  a law.  Its  final  passage  was 
brought  about  by  one  of  the  most  sensational  occurrences  in  the  medical  his- 


396 


tory  of  this  country,  namely,  the  finding  of  the  body  of  John  Scott  Harrison 
in  the  building  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  on  Thursday,  May  30,  1878. 

John  Scott  Harrison  was  a son  of  Wm.  Henry  Harrison  ‘'Old  Tippe- 
canoe,” distinguished  statesman  and  soldier  and  ninth  President  of  the  United 
States.  Wm.  H.  Harrison  had  been  closely  identified  with  the  early  history 
of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  His  son,  John  Scott,  was  born  in  Vincen- 
nes, Ind.,  in  1804.  He  was  a member  of  the  national  House  of  Representa- 
tives for  three  years.  He  died  suddenly  at  his  home  in  North  Bend,  Ohio, 
May  26,  1878.  He  was  much  beloved  on  account  of  his  many  excellent  traits 
of  character.  His  sister,  Lucy,  had  been  the  wife  of  Hon.  David  K.  Este,  a 
member  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  John 
Scott  Harrison  was  buried  May  29,  in  Congress  Green  Cemetery,  North 
Bend,  Ohio,  amid  a large  concourse  of  people,  among  them  many  prominent 


John  Scott  Harrison 


citizens  of  Cincinnati.  On  May  30  John  Harrison  and  George  Eaton,  son 
and  nephew  of  the  deceased,  came  to  Cincinnati,  and,  armed  with  a search- 
warrant,  visited  the  various  medical  schools  to  find  the  body  of  Wm.  B. 
Devin,  a young  friend  of  the  Harrison  family,  who  had  died  a few  days  pre- 
viously. His  body  had  been  stolen  and  was  supposed  to  have  been  taken  to 
Cincinnati.  They  went  through  the  building  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
without  finding  any  trace  of  the  body  and  were  about  to  abandon  the  search 
when  the  rope  attached  to  a windlass  and  suspended  in  the  chute  or  hoist 
through  which  cadavers  were  brought  up  to  the  dissecting  room,  was  noticed 
to  be  taut,  as  though  something  heavy  was  attached  to  the  end  of  the  rope 
down  below.  Without  any  difficulty  a naked  body  was  brought  up.  The 
head  and  shoulders  were  found  to  be  covered  with  a cloth.  When  the  cloth 
was  removed  and  a light  turned  on  the  face,  the  features  of  John  Scott  Har- 
rison were  recognized  by  the  son  and  nephew  of  the  deceased.  The  patri- 


396 


archal  beard  had  been  cut  off  below  the  chin.  The  scene  which  followed 
can  be  better  imagined  than  described.  Public  sentiment  was  aroused  by 
Benjamin  Harrison,  another  son  of  the  deceased  and  subsequently  President 
of  the  United  States,  who  arrived  the  following  day.  That  the  newspapers 
of  the  city,  and,  in  fact,  of  the  whole  country  contributed  their  share  to- 
wards exciting  the  people  by  making  an  unfortunate  occurence  appear  in 
the  light  of  a crime  committed  by  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
can  readily  be  understood.  After  a few  days  the  excitement  quieted  down. 
The  body  of  John  Scott  Harrison  was  deposited  in  the  tomb  of  his  father 
at  North  Bend. 

The  true  inwardness  of  this  unfortunate  occurrence  will  probably  never 
be  known.  That  the  professors  of  the  college  had  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  matter,  in  fact,  were  a unit  in  condemning  the  action  of  the  man 
who  had  procured  the  body,  is  an  undeniable  fact.  That  the  predicament  of 
the  Ohio  professors  was  noticed  with  ill-concealed  satisfaction  by  the  faculty 
of  one  of  the  rival  schools,  is  likewise  true.  It  was  ascertained  that  the 
basement  of  the  institution  alluded  to  was  a regular  storehouse  for  anatomical 
subjects  and  that  medical  colleges  as  far  away  as  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan were  supplied  with  cadavers  from  this  Cincinnati  institution.  Whether 
the  body  of  John  Scott  Harrison  was  taken  directly  to  the  Ohio  College  or 
came  from  the  aforesaid  storehouse,  is  not  known.  Why  it  was  taken  to 
the  Ohio  College,  without  an  order  from  the  demonstrator  of  anatomy,  and 
after  the  dissecting  season,  is  likewise  an  open  question.  That  the  action 
was  prompted  by  malice  towards  the  Ohio  College,  or  towards  some  person 
connected  with  it,  is  believed  by  some.  Who  the  perpetrator  was  and  what 
motive  actuated  him,  will  probably  never  be  known.  “Resurrectionists”  never 
reveal  their  secrets  and  the  story  of  John  Scott  Harrison’s  body  will  prob- 
ably never  be  told  until  the  day  of  the  final  resurrection.  The  body  lies  at 
the  side  of  that  of  the  elder  Harrison,  amid  scenery  as  beautiful  as  can  be 
found  anywhere.  The  tomb,  hallowed  by  a thousand  recollections  connected 
with  the  life  and  services  of  a distinguished  American,  seems  to  have  been 
forgotten  by  the  present  generation.  The  evidences  of  neglect  are  apparent 
everywhere.  Near  by  is  the  tomb  of  John  Cleves  Symmes,  whose  name 
can  not  be  separated  from  the  early  history  of  Western  civilization.  Here, 
too,  where  Nature  appears  in  her  most  beautiful  garb,  man  has  forgotten 
the  debt  he  owes  to  the  past  and  its  heroes.  The  tooth  of^time  is  slowly  but 
surely  destroying  the  humble  slab  of  sandstone  beneath  which  the  founder 
of  Cincinnati  rests  from  his  labors. 


397 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


HOSPITALS. 

The  first  hospital  in  Cincinnati  was  opened  about  1815  when  the  town- 
ship trustees  rented  a house  on  Vine  Street  above  Sixth  Street,  for 
the  accommodation  of  sick  and  indigent  persons.  The  place  was 
ill-adapted  to  its  purpose  and  passed  out  of  existence  in  1821  when  the  Com- 
mercial Hospital  was  chartered  by  the  Legislature. 

In  1828  there  were  two  private  eye-clinics  (eye-infirmaries)  in  existence 
in  Cincinnati.  In  1829  Dr.  J.  M.  Johnson,  who  has  been  referred  to  else- 
where, opened  the  Cincinnati  Infirmary.  It  was  the  first  private  hospital  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  It  had  a rather  pretentious  electro-therapeutic 
equipment  and  was  provided  with  apparatus  for  vapor  and  steam-baths, 
fumigation,  etc.  In  1835  Drake  fitted  up  a small  hospital  in  a house  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Gibson  House  and  called  it  “Cincinnati  Hospital.”  It 
represented  the  clinical  department  of  Drake’s  College  which  was  located  in 
the  Cincinnati  College  building.  This  hospital  was  closed  in  1839.  In  the 
same  year  Alva  Curtis  opened  a private  hospital  in  the  then  famous  building 
previously  occupied  by  Mme.  Trollope’s  Bazaar.  All  these  hospitals  were 
small  in  scope  and  crude  in  construction  and  equipment.  The  first  institu- 
tion that  was  a hospital  in  name  as  well  as  in  fact,  was  the  Commercial  Hos- 
pital. 

THE  COMMERCIAL  HOSPITAL.  The  founder  of  this  institution, 
as  already  stated  in  a previous  chapter,  was  Daniel  Drake,  at  whose  urgent 
appeal  the  Legislature,  on  January  22,  1821,  passed  an  “Act  establishing  a 
commercial  hospital  and  lunatic  asylum  for  the  State  of  Ohio.”  In  the 
second  month  of  the  first  session  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  Drake 
drew  up  a bill  and  laid  it  before  the  trustees  of  the  Township  of  Cincinnati. 
The  trustees  assented  and  co-operated  with  Drake  in  appealing  to  the  Legis- 
lature. Governor  Brown,  of  Ohio,  also  lent  his  aid.  After  a month  of 
laborious  explanation  and  personal  effort  on  the  part  of  Drake,  the  bill 
became  a law.  The  State,  having  in  view  the  relief  of  her  sick  boatmen, 
gave  a small  sum  of  money  to  assist  in  the  erection  of  a house,  and  pledged, 
forever,  half  the  auction  duties  of  this  city,  toward  the  support  of  the  pa- 
tients. The  township  was  to  supply  the  remainder,  and  the  professors  of 
the  college  were  to  be  its  medical  and  surgical  attendants,  with  the  privilege 
of  introducing  their  pupils  for  clinical  instruction ; the  fees  of  admission  to 


398 


constitute  a fund  for  the  purchase  of  chemical  apparatus,  anatomical  prepa- 
rations and  books  for  the  college.  Such  was  the  second  step  taken  by  the 
State  of  Ohio  for  the  promotion  of  medical  education,  the  chartering  of  the 
college  being  the  first. 

An  acceptance  of  the  hospital  law,  by  the  trustees  of  the  township,  was 
deferred  until  after  the  annual  election  in  the  next  Spring;  and,  during  the 
time  of  delay,  the  subject  was  canvassed  before  the  people.  An  argument 
against  it  was,  that  the  plan  which  had  been  devised,  however  beneficial  to 
the  college,  might  throw  the  boatmen  of  Ohio  on  the  city,  beyond  the  rev- 
enues provided  by  the  State,  and  thus  increase  the  taxes  for  the  support  of 
the  poor.  To  counteract  the  force  of  this  argument,  some  of  the  professors 
moved  their  friends  to  unite  with  them  in  a bond  of  indemnity  to  the  town- 
ship. The  bond  was  executed  and  tendered ; and  at  the  annual  election, 
the  ticket  in  favor  of  an  acceptance  of  the  charter,  was  carried  by  a vote  of 
seven  hundred  to  five  hundred.  The  new  trustees  of  the  township  confirmed 
what  their  predecessors  had  undertaken,  and  thus  the  hospital  was  erected,  a 
monument  to  the  untiring  zeal  and  indomitable  energy  of  the  founder  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  To  him  the  two  institutions  were  really  one. 
They  were  mutually  dependent  upon  each  other,  and  contributed,  in  their 
united  capacity,  to  the  promotion  of  medical  science  and  the  relief  of  human 
suffering.  Drake  was  far  ahead  of  his  time  in  his  estimation  of  hospital 
instruction  as  a necessary  part  of  medical  education.  In  discussing  this  sub- 
ject before  the  class  he  spoke  as  follows: 

“And  herd  allow  me  to  say,  that  all  the  tendencies  of  the  age  are  to  the  study  of 
medicine  and  surgery  in  hospitals.  In  them  it  is.  that  the  student  learns  pathological 
anatomy,  diagnosis,  the  art  of  prescribing  and  operative  surgery.  The  laboratory  is 
not  more  necessary  for  the  study  of  chemistry,  or  a garden  of  plants  for  the  study 
of  botany,  than  a hospital  for  the  study  of  practical  medicine  and  surgery.  The  time 
has  passed  by,  when  students  will  flock  to  men  of  genius  (as  they  once  flocked  to 
Boerhaave)  for  the  purpose  of  listening  to  expositions  of  theory,  or  to  be  amused 
with  creations  of  imagination.  The  school  which  is  not  based  on  a hospital,  may  have 
learned  and  able  professors;  but  the  results  of  their  teaching  can  never  be  satisfactory 
to  the  student,  who  seeks  to  make  himself  a good,  practical  physician  and  surgeon.  A 
mathematician  might  compose  an  admirable  system  of  navigation,  but  you  would 
prefer  to  trust  yourselves,  on  a dangerous  voyage,  with  one  of  more  practical  skill, 
though  less  learned.  In  the  arrangement  for  the  session  now  opened,  the  faculty  have 
made  ample  provision  for  clinical  teaching,  by  assigning  each  alternate  afternoon  to  the 
hospital;  and  I would  earnestly  invite  all,  except  those  who  are  but  entering  upon  their 
studies,  to  be  punctual  in  their  attendance  on  those  days.” 

A short  time  after  the  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained,  a suitable  tract 
for  the  site  of  the  hospital  was  purchased,  in  the  then  outskirts  of  the  city, 
now  in  its  very  heart, — a tract  of  four  acres,  being  that  upon  which  the 
Cincinnati  Hospital  now  stands.  Some  delay  was  experienced  in  putting  a 
building  upon  it ; but  in  1823  a brick  edifice  was  erected,  of  fifty-three  feet 
front  by  forty-two  feet  depth,  and  three  stories  in  height,  with  a tenantable 

399 


basement.  Ten  thousand  dollars  had  been  appropriated  by  the  General  As- 
sembly toward  its  erection ; which,  although  received  in  depreciated  bank 
notes,  yielding  in  specie  but  thirty-five  hundred  dollars,  was  a material  and 
welcome  aid  to  the  building  fund.  In  all  but  seven  thousand  and  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  dollars  were  expended  at  the  time  upon  the 
buildings  and  ward-furniture  and  the  improvement  of  the  grounds.  The 
lecture  room  was  located  in  the  upper  story  of  the  original  building.  It 
had  a seating  capacity  for  about  100  students.  In  1827  an  additional  building 
was  erected  on  the  grounds,  forty-four  feet  long,  twenty-eight  feet  wide  and 
two  stories  high.  It  was  intended  as  a place  of  detention  for  lunatics.  The 
lower  story  was  arranged  for  males,  the  upper  for  females.  The  principal 
building  which  was  improved  and  enlarged  from  time  to  time,  originally  had 


Commercial  Hospital  (1832) 


eighteen  apartments  and  a hall  and  staircase  in  the  center.  The  basement, 
which  was  eight  feet  high,  was  used  for  the  accommodation  of  aged  and 
indigent  persons  and  of  orphans.  The  site  of  the  hospital  was  a four-acre 
lot  (No.  59  of  the  original  plat  of  Cincinnati)  and  cost  the  township  trustees 
$4,000.  The  whole  lot,  after  the  hospital  was  erected,  was  enclosed  in  a 
board  fence.  About  two  acres  were  covered  with  grass  where  the  male  in- 
mates were  allowed  to  sit  or  stroll.  One  acre  on  the  canal  was  cultivated 
as  a vegetable  garden  and  as  a place  of  recreation  for  the  women.  The 
number  of  persons  who  received  treatment  at  the  Commercial  Hospital  dur- 
ing the  first  twelve  years  of  the  latter’s  existence,  was  12,452.  Of  this 
number  9,402  were  outdoor  patients,  while  3,050  were  kept  in  the  hospital. 
The  capacity  of  the  institution  in  1832  was  150  beds. 

The  medical  staff  of  the  institution  was  made  up  of  the  professors  of 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  Two  of  them  were  always  in  attendance,  one 

400 


for  surgical  and  one  for  medical  cases.  In  1827  the  faculty  decided  to  ap- 
point a house  surgeon  and  accordingly  created  the  position  of  interne,  to  be 
filled  by  competitive  examination  of  the  graduates.  He  was  to  have  charge 
of  the  inmates  in  the  absence  of  the  attending  physicians,  to  look  after  the 
outdoor  patients  and  visit  the  children’s  asylum  close  by.  During  the  first 
few  years  of  this  arrangement  the  house  surgeon  was  also  responsible  for 
the  patients  in  the  pesthouse,  which  was  located  on  a lot  adjoining  Potter’s 
Field  (now  Lincoln  Park).  During  one  of  the  periodical  rows  between  the 
township  trustees  and  the  Ohio  faculty,  the  interne  was  instructed  to  keep  a 
record  of  the  visits  of  the  attending  physicians  with  special  reference  to 
punctuality  and  faithful  performance  of  duty.  He  had  to  report  any  derelic- 
tion of  duty  to  the  township  trustees.  His  annual  salary  was  $400.  An 
undergraduate  was  appointed  apothecary,  who  received  no  compensation, 
but  got  his  room  and  board  in  the  hospital.  He  did  the  compounding  of 
medicines,  the  bleeding  and  cupping  and  kept  the  case  records.  The  first 
examinations  for  house  surgeon  was  held  February  17,  1827.  Five  candi- 
dates presented  themselves.  Edward  H.  Bradbury  was  the  successful  can- 
didate and  was,  therefore,  the  first  interne  of  the  hospital.  The  following 
year  Benjamin  Hageman  was  elected.  In  1829  there  were  no  applicants  and 
Hageman  continued  as  house  surgeon.  In  1830  Benj.  S.  Lawson,  subse- 
quently a professor  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  was 
elected  interne.  He  also  served  for  two  years.  The  list  of  internes  of  the 
old  Commercial  Hospital  includes  some  of  the  most  distinguished  names  in 
the  medical  history  of  the  West.  Many  of  the  internes  became  medical 
teachers  of  distinction,  notably  Jesse  P.  Judkins,  John  H.  Tate,  John  Davis, 
John  A.  Murphy,  H.  E.  Eoote  R.  L.  Rea,  Thos.  H.  Kearney,  Wm.  H.  Tay- 
lor, D.  D.  Bramble,  A.  J.  Miles,  A.  H.  Underhill  and  others. 

That  the  hospital  received  a liberal  share  of  the  troubles  that  at  all  times 
beset  the  path  of  the  Ohio  professors  in  their  relation  to  each  other,  to  the 
college  and  to  the  general  profession,  is  not  surprising.  There  was  hardly  a 
time  when  either  the  township  trustees  or  some  faction  in  the  profession 
did  not  engage  in  some  sort  of  wrangle  with  the  professors  of  the  Ohio  Col- 
lege about  the  service  at  the  hospital.  This  was  particularly  the  case  after 
rival  colleges  had  sprung  up  and  demanded  a share  in  the  professional 
prestige  and  clinical  advantages  of  the  hospital.  When  Drake  was  waging  a 
war  of  extermination  against  the  Ohio  College,  he  aimed  principally  at  the 
professional  monopoly  which  the  latter  college  enjoyed  in  the  hospital.  In 
1839  he  triumphed.  The  Ohio  Legislature  passed  a law  extending  to  the 
students  of  all  medical  colleges  the  clinical  advantages  of  the  hospital.  The 
victory  came  too  late  because  Drake  in  1839  abandoned  his  Cincinnati  Col- 
lege. In  1853  the  hospital  fight  assumed  the  aspects  and  proportions  of  a 
public  scandal.  The  soil  for  this  most  sensational  occurrence  had  been  pre- 
pared by  many  minor  fights  which  had  enlivened  the  five  preceding  years. 
Alva  Curtis,  in  public  lectures  and  manifestos,  had  attacked  the  Ohio  fac- 


401 


iilty  continuously  and  had  created  considerable  sentiment  among  the  laity 
against  them.  The  Eclectics  demanded  a share  of  the  clinical  advantages 
and  were  supporting  a bill  to  divide  the  service  at  the  hospital  among  all 
schools.  Many  members  of  the  profession  were  secretly  agitating  the  cause 
against  the  Ohio  faculty,  especially  the  men  who  were  connected  with  the 
newly  organized  Cincinnati  and  Miami  Colleges.  The  Legislature  and  town- 
ship trustees  were  besieged  on  behalf  of  the  Ohio  College  and  against  it. 
The  climax  was  reached  in  the  month  of  October,  1853,  when  a number  of 
public  meetings  of  the  profession  were  held  in  which  the  Ohio  professors 
were  attacked  from  all  sides.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  Mechanics’ 
Institute.  The  attitude  of  most  speakers  was  hostile  to  an  extreme  degree, 
the  language  varied  from  innuendo  to  Billingsgate ; physical  fights  were  nar- 
rowly averted.  One  of  the  speakers  was  so  abusive  and  vulgar  in  his  attacks 
on  certain  members  of  the  profession  that  he  had  to  be  removed  from  the 
hall  by  main  force,  which  resulted  in  a general  fight.  The  principal  antagon- 
ists of  the  Ohio  College  were  M.  B.  Wright  who  had  been  expelled  a year 
or  two  previously,  R.  R.  Mcllvaine  and  O.  M.  Langdon.  The  champions  of 
the  Ohio  College  were  L.  M.  Lawson,  O.  M.  Edwards,  Asbury  Evans  and  a 
number  of  general  practitioners,  notably  I.  Dodge  and  S.  Bonner.  Charges 
of  neglect  and  incompetency  were  brought  against  the  staff  physicians  of 
the  hospital,  who,  of  course,  were  the  professors  of  the  Ohio  College.  The 
mortality  in  the  institution  was  shown  to  be  much  higher  than  in  other  hos- 
pitals, while  the  cost  of  sustenance  was  greater.  The  professors  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati and  Miami  Colleges  were  actively  engaged  in  helping  the  opposition 
and  in  creating  a strong  sentiment  among  the  laity  against  the  hospital  and 
its  medical  attendants. 

The  Eclectics,  of  course,  did  their  best  to  embarrass  the  Ohio  College. 
Even  the  religious  folk  were  involved  in  the  trouble.  Every  Methodist 
preacher  was  denouncing  the  Ohio  College  because  their  scheme  to  create  a 
medical  department  for  Wesleyan  University  had  failed  three  years  before. 
Even  the  medical  students  of  the  city  took  a hand  in  the  fray.  They  peti- 
tioned the  township  trustees  on  behalf  of  their  respective  colleges.  A num- 
ber of  meetings  of  the  profession  were  held.  The  controversy  ended  in  a 
victory  for  the  enemies  of  the  Ohio  College.  A committee  was  appointed 
to  appear  before  the  Legislature  and  urge,  on  behalf  of  the  whole  profess- 
sion,  the  repeal  of  the  law  which  gave  the  Ohio  College  a monopoly  in  the 
hospital.  It  was  resolved  that  ‘hhe  hospital  should  be  independent  of  all 
colleges.”  The  agitation  before  the  Legislature  was  continued  for  many  years, 
but  led  to  no  results  owing  partly  to  the  constantly  changing  political  complex- 
ion of  the  Legislature  and  partly  to  the  dissensions  among  ‘the  enemies  of 
the  Ohio  school.  The  agitation,  however,  served  to  keep  the  profession  in  a 
constant  uproar.  The  trustees  of  the  hospital  in  those  exciting  days  were  sail- 
ing between  Scylla  and  Charybdis.  To  put  an  end  to  the  clamoring  of  the  Ec- 
lectics, they  decided  to  admit  students  of  the  Eclectic  Institute  to  the  clin- 


402 


ical  lectures  at  the  hospital.  The  result  was  that  bloody  encounters  between 
the  students  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Eclectic  Colleges  were  almost  daily  occur- 
rences. For  nearly  an  entire  year  the  clinical  lectures  had  to  be  suspended. 
In  1855  an  arrangement  was  efiected  whereby  the  trustees  were  authorized 
to  sell  hospital  tickets  to  the  students  of  all  medical  colleges.  This  meant  a 
very  considerable  revenue  to  the  hospital  and  seemed  to  restore  temporary 
peace,  at  least  as  far  as  the  students  were  concerned. 

In  1858  the  City  Council  attempted  to  get  possession  of  the  hospital  by 
submitting  a bill  to  the  Legislature  terminating  the  existence  of  the  hos- 
pital as  a State  institution  and  subjecting  it  to  municipal  control.  The  Ohio 
professors  violently  opposed  this  move,  fearing  the  weight  of  political  influ- 
ence of  the  other  colleges  in  local  affairs.  Even  the  staid  James  Graham 
for  a moment  lost  the  equanimity  for  which  he  was  noted.  He  published  a 
strong  letter  on  the  subject  in  the  daily  press,  and  thus  became  the  target 
of  attack  by  all  interested  factions,  especially  the  Eclectics.  Again  all  kinds 
of  charges  were  brought  against  the  Ohio  College.  The  Eclectics  demanded 
competitive  examinations  for  any  one  who  aspired  to  a position  on  the  staff 
of  the  hospital.  Other  opponents  called  attention  to  the  wretched  financial 
condition  of  the  Ohio  College  and  to  the  doubtful  propriety  of  entrusting  the 
professional  management  of  the  hospital  to  the  professors  of  a practically 
bankrupt  institution.  The  Ohio  College  weathered  this  storm.  It  had  suc- 
cessfully put  a dangerous  rival  out  of  the  way  by  uniting  with  and  absorb- 
ing the  Miami  Medical  College.  In  this  way  the  ambition  of  the  most  per- 
sistent antagonists  was  appeased  and  their  opposition  ceased. 

The  original  ‘‘Commercial  Hospital  and  Lunatic  Asylum”  was  a com- 
bination of  a hospital,  an  insane  asylum,  an  infirmary,  a poorhouse  and  an 
orphanage.  The  infirmary  feature  was  gotten  rid  of  in  1852,  when  the  City 
Infirmary  was  established.  The  different  orphan  asylums  which  had  sprung 
up  in  different  parts  of  the  county  relieved  the  hospital  in  connection  with 
the  care  of  the  orphans.  The  establishment  of  a lunatic  asylum  in  Lick  Run 
and  afterwards  in  Carthage  (Longview  Asylum)  was  a much-needed  im- 
provement. Thus  the  Commercial  Hospital  in  1860  was  a hospital  in  name 
as  well  as  in  fact.  Its  control  in  1852  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Infirmary  directors.  In  1861  the  Legislature  passed  a law  adopting  the 
name  of  “Commercial  Hospital  of  Cincinnati”  and  appointing  a board  of 
seven  trustees,  of  which  the  mayor  and  the  Infirmary  directors  were  to  be 
members  es  officio.  The  new  board  adopted  many  improvements,  e.  g.,  gas 
lighting,  in  1861.  Yet,  the  buildings  were  old  and  decaying.  The  main 
building  had  long  been  condemned  as  unfit  for  its  purpose.  Many  sick  had 
been  turned  away  because  they  could  not  be  accommodated  in  the  old  struc- 
ture. In  1865  the  crowded  condition  of  the  hospital  was  relieved  by  the 
establishment  of  a temporary  annex  on  Elm  Street,  above  Twelfth  Street, 
for  the  accommodation  of  female  patients.  Thus  it  was  not  difficult  to  con- 
vince the  people  of  the  city  that  a new  hospital  was  an  urgent  necessity. 


403 


The  war  delayed  the  execution  of  plans  adopted  in  1861.  In  1865  the  Legis- 
lature was  appealed  to  by  the  City  Council,  the  medical  profession,  the  trus- 
tees of  the  hospital  and  nearly  every  influential  citizen,  and,  accordingly,  the 
Legislature  sanctioned  the  creation  of  a municipal  debt  for  a new  hospital 
subject  to  approval  by  a vote  of  the  people.  In  1868  a popular  vote  sanc- 
tioned the  issue  of  bonds,  amounting  to  $250,000,  for  the  new  hospital,  the 
name  of  which,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  was  changed  to  “Cincinnati 
Hospital.”  In  regard  to  the  building  of  the  new  hospital  there  was  not  a 
dissenting  voice.  Political  schemers  did  not  seem  to  be  in  evidence  in  the 
matter.  Forty  years  later  when  a similar  issue  was  forced  upon  the  public, 
neither  the  people  nor  the  profession  at  large  were  consulted.  The  profound 
wisdom  of  the  politicians  and  the  philanthropic  sanction  of  one  or  two 
scheming  political  doctors,  in  pathetic  accord,  settled  the  momentous  ques- 
tion. So  have  the  times  changed ! In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to 
know  something  of  the  political  machinations  that  preceded  the  building  of 
the  new  hospital  half  a century  ago.  There  were  not  a few  who  as  early 
as  1855  considered  the  hospital  unflt  for  its  purpose  and  advocated  the 
building  of  a new  hospital.  Some  people  thought  that  the  new  hospital 
should  be  built  outside  of  the  city  proper.  The  absurdity  of  building  a mu- 
nicipal hospital  away  from  the  center  of  the  poor  population  was  too  ap- 
parent and  the  plan  was  abandoned  by  its  promoters  who  were  politicians 
with  an  ax  to  grind.  When  their  scheme  failed,  they  suggested  selling  the 
hospital  lot  and  buying  the  old  Presbyterian  burying  ground  (now  Wash- 
ington Park)  for  the  new  hospital.  The  City  Council  appointed  a com- 
mittee of  politicians  to  consider  this  scheme,  a man  by  the  name  of  Holmes 
being  chairman  of  this  committee.  Thos.  O.  Edwards,  a professor  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio,  was  a member  of  council  at  that  time.  It  is  not 
known  that  Edwards  did  anything  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  scheme. 
This  seems  to  indicate  that  the  Ohio  faculty  were  not  actively  opposed  to 
any  political  scheme  in  regard  to  the  hospital,  as  long  as  they  retained  pro- 
fessional control  of  the  institution.  Thos.  O.  Edwards  was  the  politician  in 
the  faculty.  It  was  he  who  acted  as  the  watchdog  of  the  faculty’s  interests. 
He  did  not  object  to  the  schemes  of  the  politicians  as  long  as  an  equivalent 
for  services  rendered  was  forthcoming.  This  equivalent  was  the  profes- 
sional control  of  the  hospital.  He  spent  much  time  in  Columbus  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Ohio  College.  When  and  how  the  scheme  of  selling  the  hospital 
property  was  railroaded  through  Council  is  not  known.  The  sale  was  con- 
summated and  strips  of  land  on  the  Central  Avenue  side  were  disposed  of, 
the  sum  realized  in  a two  days’  sale  being  $71,355.  The  political  schemers 
and  their  doctor  friends,  however,  had  done  their  figuring  without  their 
host.  The  man  who  frustrated  the  scheme  even  after  it  had  been  half 
carried  out,  was  Robert  R.  Mcllvaine.  He  and  Hon.  Win.  M.  Corry,  a 
member  of  the  Ohio  Legislature,  brought  the  matter  before  the  Legislature, 
March  10,  1856,  and  the  sale  was  rescinded,  all  money  received  being  re- 


404 


funded  to  the  purchasers  who  had  to  surrender  their  deeds  in  return.  In 
this  way  the  gigantic  steal  contemplated  by  the  politicians  was  nipped  in  the 
bud  and  the  hospital  property  was  saved. 

The  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the  old  Commercial  Hospital  were  the 
professors  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  the  professors  of  surgery  and 
anatomy  alternately  taking  care  of  the  surgical  service,  the  professors  of 
medicine  and  materia  medica  being  the  medical  attendants.  With  the  in- 
creasing responsibilities  of  the  work,  the  incumbents  of  other  chairs  were 
pressed  into  service.  During  the  cholera  year,  1832,  the  whole  faculty,  re- 
inforced by  Drake’s  faculty  of  the  Miami  University,  was  constantly  on  duty 
and  rendered  yeoman  service.  J.  M.  Staughton,  the  brilliant  young  pro- 
fessor of  surgery,  fell  a victim  to  the  terrible  scourge.  The  operating  room 
of  the  old  hospital  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  brilliant  surgery  of 
those  days,  especially  the  bladder  surgery  of  Jesse  Smith,  the  lithotrity  of 
Alban  Goldsmith  and  the  splendid  general  surgery  of  R.  D.  Mussey  and 
George  C.  Blackman.  The  most  noted  internists  of  the  hospital  were  Daniel 
Drake,  John  Moorhead,  John  Eberle,  T.  D.  Mitchell,  J.  P.  Harrison,  John 
Bell  and  L.  M.  Lawson.  The  character  of  its  medical  men  and  their  work, 
some  of  which  was  historical  in  importance,  made  the  Commercial  Hospital 
an  institution  of  far  more  than  merely  local  importance,  as  shown  by  the 
medical  journals  of  those  days. 

The  Pest  House,  as  it  was  called,  was  a branch  of  the  Commercial  Hos- 
pital. Its  first  location  was  where  Music  Hall  now  stands.  In  the  forties 
and  fifties  it  was  situated  on  the  present  site  of  Lincoln  Park.  Later  on  it 
was  moved  to  Rohs  Hill,  south  of  McMillan  Street  and  west  of  Clifton 
Avenue.  All  cases  of  contagious  diseases  were  taken  to  the  Pest  House, 
which  was  under  the  same  management  and  professional  control  as  the  Com- 
mercial Hospital.  Since  1878  its  location  is  in  Lick  Run.  Adjoining  are  the 
buildings  and  grounds  of  the  hospital  for  tubercular  cases,  erected  and  fitted 
up  in  1898  as  a part  of  the  municipal  hospital.  The  buildings  for  the  con- 
tagious, including  the  tubercular  cases,  form  a thoroughly  modern  annex  of 
the  general  hospital,  and  are  known  by  the  more  euphonious  name  of  the 
Branch  Hospital.  Much  of  the  latter’s  recent  success  is  due  to  the  excellent 
work  done  by  Dr.  Benj.  F.  Lyle,  who  has  been  its  superintendent  for  some 
years  past. 

THE  CINCINNATI  HOSPITAL.  The  construction  of  this  edifice,  in 
its  day  considered  the  most  magnificent  structure  of  its  kind  on  this  con- 
tinent, was  begun  in  1866  after  the  necessary  funds  had  been  voted  by  the 
people.  In  1868  by  popular  vote  the  additional  issue  of  $250,000  worth  of 
bonds  was  authorized.  The  Legislature  by  a special  act  changed  the  name 
of  the  institution  to  that  of  “Cincinnati  Hospital.”  The  building  was  oc- 
cupied in  January,  1869.  While  the  building  was  in  process  of  erection,  the 
patients  were  accommodated  in  the  old  St.  John’s  Hospital,  Third  and  Plum 


405 


Streets.  Nearly  a million  dollars  were  spent  in  the  erection  of  the  new 
hospital.  The  latter,  covering  one  entire  block,  was  dedicated  January  8, 
1869,  Marmaduke  Burr  Wright,  the  distinguished  obstetrician,  delivering 
the  oration  on  behalf  of  the  profession.  The  splendid  structure  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  greatest  architectural  attractions  in  this  part  of  the 
country  and  swelled  the  hearts  of  the  Cincinnati  people  with  justifiable  pride. 
The  first  operation  performed  in  the  new  hospital  was  a hip- joint  amputa- 
tion. Thomas  Wood  was  the  operator. 

In  the  earlier  annual  reports  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  the  following  de- 
scription of  the  building  and  account  of  its  management  are  given ; 


Cincinnati  Hospital  (1870) 


The  Cincinnati  Hospital  occupies  the  square  bounded  by  Twelfth  Street,  Central 
Avenue,  Ann  and  Plum  Streets,  being  448  feet  front  from  north  to  south,  and  340 
feet  from  east  to  west.  The  structure  consists  of  eight  distinct  buildings,  placed  en 
echelon,  and  connected  by  corridors,  surrounding  an  extensive  center  yard  or  court. 
The  central  portion  and  main  entrance  are  situated  on  Twelfth  Street,  midway  between 
Central  Avenue  and  Plum  Street,  and  is  termed  the  Administrative  Department.  This 
contains  offices,  library,  dispensary,  superintendent’s  and  officer^’  apartments,  kitchen 
and  dining-rooms.  On  the  upper  floor  is  the  amphitheatre,  with  seats  for  the  accom- 
modation of  six  hundred  students. 

There  are  six  pavilions,  three  stories  in  height.  Three  of  the  pavilions  are  on  the 
Eastern  or  Plum  Street  side,  and  three  on  the  Western  or  Central  Avenue  side.  Each 
pavilion  contains  three  wards,  one  on  each  floor,  of  which  those  in  the  central  pavilion 
contain  thirty-six  beds  each,  and  the  rest  twenty-four  each,  allowing  1,800  cubic  feet 
of  space  in  the  wards  to  each  bed.  The  central  pavilions  contain  each  also  six  private 
rooms  each.  At  one  end  of  the  wards  are  situated  the  nurses’  rooms,  diet  kitchens, 
dining-rooms  for  canvalescents,  closets  for  bedding  and  clothing,  dumb-waiters  and 
elevators  for  patients.  At  the  other  end  are  located  the  bath  rooms,  water  closets  and 
reading  rooms.  In  the  basement  of  the  pavilions  are  store  rooms,  baggage  rooms, 
heating  chambers,  mortuary,  etc.,  and  a passage-way  around  the  entire  establishment. 


406 


The  central  building,  on  Ann  Street,  is  the  Domestic  Department,  and  contains  the 
main  kitchen,  bakery,  laundry,  domestic  dormitories  and  dining-room.  Connected  with 
the  Domestic  Department,  on  the  interior,  is  the  engine  room,  containing  three  large 
boilers  for  heating  purposes,  also  storage  for  fuel. 

The  establishment  is  heated  throughout  with  steam.  Heat  for  the  wards  is  sup- 
plied from  coils  of  steam  pipe,  placed  in  chambers  in  the  basement.  From  these 
chambers  pure  air,  warmed  to  the  proper  temperature,  passes  into  the  wards,  while  the 
halls  and  the  other  rooms  of  the  institution  are  heated  by  direct  radiation  from  the 
steam  coils  placed  therein.  Portions  of  the  buildings  are  ventilated  by  a downward 
draught  into  a large  air-duct  under  the  pavilions,  which  terminates  in  a large  chimney 
of  the  engine  room.  The  remaining  portions  are  ventilated  through  ventilating  chambers 
in  the  towers  and  attics. 

The  walls  of  the  entire  building  are  composed  of  brick,  with  freestone  finishing 
around  the  angles,  etc.  The  upper  stories  are  finished  in  French  style,  with  Mansard 
roof  of  slate  of  variegated  colors.  The  Administrative  Department  is  surmounted  by  a 
dome  and  spire  that  reaches  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  from  the  pavement,  and  each 
of  the  outer  ends  of  the  pavilions  is  surmounted  by  turrets  that  serve  as  ornaments 
as  well  as  promoters  of  ventilation. 

The  wards  of  the  hospital  are  divided  into  Surgical,  Medical,  Obstetrical,  Ophthal- 
mological  and  Pathological ; and  in  the  attendance  upon  them  are  four  surgeons,  four 
physicians,  two  obstetricians,  two  ophthalmologists,  and  two  pathologists.  One-half  of 
this  number  are  on  duty  at  the  same  time,  and  alternate  every  four  months.  Clinical 
lectures  are  delivered  in  the  amphitheatre  two  hours  each. working  day,  commencing  in 
October  and  ending  with  February.  All  medical  students  are  entitled  to  admission 
to  the  clinical  lectures  by  the  payment  of  a fee  of  five  dollars.  The  fund  thus  created 
is  applied  to  the  purchase  of  books,  instruments,  and  the  enlargement  of  the  cabinet. 

In  aid  of  the  staff  six  undergraduates  are  selected,  after  a competitive  examina- 
tion, whose  designations  are  “Clinical  Clerks.”  Entering  upon  duty,  they  are  distrib- 
uted to  different  wards,  where  they  remain  two  months ; they  then  exchange  places, 

so  that  each  one,  during  the  year,  has  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  practice  of  the 

entire  hospital.  They  accompany  the  staff  in  their  daily  visits  to  the  sick,  receive  their 
orders,  keep  a record  of  the  cases  and  their  treatment,  report  all  violations  of  medical 
discipline,  and  have  a general  supervision  over  their  respective  wards. 

For  the  accommodation  of  persons  visiting  Cincinnati  in  search  of  medical  or 
surgical  aid,  and  those  who  may  not  receive  necessary  attention  in  hotels  and  boarding 
houses,  a pay  department  has  been  established,  consisting  of  thirty  rooms,  all  com- 
fortably and  neatly  furnished.  Regular  nurses  are  engaged  by  the  hospital  to  attend 
the  sick  in  this  department,  but  each  patient  is  at  liberty  to  employ  any  physician  he  or 
she  may  choose.  (The  pay-ward  was  abolished  in  1907.) 

The  hospital  is  managed  by  a Board  of  Trustees,  seven  in  number.  Two  are 

appointed  by  the  Superior  Court,  two  by  the  Common  Pleas  Court,  and  one  by  the 

Governor  of  the  State.  The  Mayor  of  Cincinnati  and  a Director  of  the  City  Infirmary, 
eldest  in  office,  are  ex  officio  members  of  the  Board.  The  hospital  is  supported  by  a 
tax,  annually  levied  by  the  City  Council  upon  the  whole  taxable  property  of  the  city — 
usually  four-tenths  of  a mill.  (The  foregoing  statements  refer  to  the  hospital  during 
the  first  decade  of  its  existence.) 

The  magnitude  of  the  work  done  by  this  great  charity  has  been  com- 
mensurate with  the  growth  of  the  city.  In  1872  about  3,500  cases  were 
treated  in  the  Cincinnati  Hospital,  in  1876  over  4,500,  in  1906  nearly  8,000. 
The  work  has  covered  every  department  of  medicine  and  surgery  and  some 
of  it  has  been  done  by  some  of  the  most  distinguished  exponents  of  medical 


407 


and  surgical  art  and  science  in  the  West.  For  years  a training  school  for 
nurses  has  been  in  operation.  The  capacity  of  the  hospital  is  over  five  hun- 
dred beds. 

The  Cincinnati  Hospital  in  its  capacity  as  a great  school  of  clinical  medi- 
cine, has  reflected  the  medical  life  of  the  city  and  more  particularly  that  of 
its  medical  colleges.  It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that  its  history  is  not 
altogether  a record  of  peaceful  achievements.  The  politicians  and  the  con- 
tending medical  factions  since  1870  have  fought  many  and  bitter  battles  in 
connection  with  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  No  other  public  institution  has 
furnished  so  much  material  for  the  columns  of  the  sensational  newspapers. 
The  charge  of  “gang-rule”  in  the  matter  of  staff  appointments  was  brought 
by  the  ‘‘Medical  News”  within  a month  after  the  hospital  had  been  opened. 


Court  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital 


The  wrangle  about  staff  positions  was  so  offensive  to  public  sentiment  that  in 
1872  a temporary  rule  was  adopted  to  the  effect  that  no  medical  teacher  was 
to  serve  on  the  staff  of  the  hospital.  The  faculties  of  the  medical  schools 
were  thus  excluded  and  the  positions  given  to  outsiders.  This  arrangement 
was  unsatisfactory  because  in  this  way  the  hospital  lost  the  services  of  some 
of  the  best  men  in  the  profession.  The  rule  was  quickly  rescinded,  even 
if  it  was  a fact  that  some  of  the  outsiders  were  men  of  superior  knowledge 
and  ability,  e.  g.,  William  Carson. 

The  Cincinnati  Hospital  has  been  the  bone  of  contention  between  the  dif- 
ferent colleges.  That  the  controversies  in  the  early  seventies  were  hardly 
characterized  by  that  degree  of  dignity  and  equanimity  which  one  would 
expect  among  professional  gentlemen,  can  not  be  denied  (Thacker).  The 

408 


Miami  professors  were  in  the  ascendancy  and  gradually  gained  the  upper 
hand  over  their  old  antagonists  in  the  Ohio  College.  The  latter  amply 
reciprocated  the  warfare  of  abuse,  public  and  private,  which  they  had  expe- 
rienced at  the  hands  of  the  Miami  contingent.  Bartholow,  in  1873,  referred 
to  the  professional  management  of  the  hospital  as  a “disgrace  to  the  entire 
profession,”  while  Graham  speaks  of  the  hospital  and  “its  second-rate  staff,” 
meaning  the  Miami  professors.  J.  A.  Thacker  and  Stockton  Reed,  of  the 
Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  added  fuel  to  the  fire  by  their 
exposure  of  abuses  and  their  fearless  criticism  of  existing  conditions,  espe- 
cially the  favoritism  and  nepotism  that  ran  riot  in  the  choice  of  incumbents 
for  positions  on  the  staff.  From  1870  to  1887  the  Miami  College  practically 
controlled  the  hospital,  excluding  the  Ohio  College.  In  1887  the  Ohio 
College  forced  recognition,  and  since  then  both  colleges  have  controlled  the 
institution,  barring  all  other  colleges  and  the  rest  of  the  profession.  The 
“bosses,”  i.  e.,  the  politicians  and  political  doctors,  have  never  thought  of  re- 
storing peace  and  the  chance  of  healthy  development  to  this  great  institu- 
tion, by  taking  the  latter  entirely  out  of  politics  and  shaping  its  management 
in  keeping  with  its  scientific  and  philanthropic  purposes.  The  subordination 
of  scientific  achievements  to  political  interests  accounts  for  the  insignificant 
amount  of  original  research,  scientific  labor,  or  even  statistical  work  which, 
especially  during  the  last  two  decades,  has  been  given  to  the  world  of  science 
by  this  hospital  and  its  well-nigh  unlimited  scientific  possibilities.  By  virtue 
of  its  size  and  its  liberal  endowment  the  Cincinnati  Hospital,  as  a nidus  of 
medical  knowledge  and  progress,  should  occupy  a place,  second  not  even  to 
the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital.  If  such  is  not  the  case,  the  fault  lies 
with  the  system  which  has  deprived  the  best  of  medical  talent  of  the  proper 
soil  upon  which  to  grow  and  thrive,  and  of  an  incentive  to  work.  This  was 
the  view  expressed  by  Blackman,  Bartholow,  Graham,  Thacker,  Young,  Reed, 
Whittaker  and  others.  (See  files  of  “Med.  Repertory,”  “Med.  News”  and 
“Clinic.”) 

Among  the  distinguished  men  who  have  worked  within  the  wards  and 
the  lecture  room  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  in  the  interests  of  humanity  and 
medical  education  were  James  Graham,  John  Davis,  C.  G.  Comegys,  John  A. 
Murphy,  J.  F.  White,  Thomas  Wood,  Roberts  Bartholow,  M.  B.  Wright,  W. 
W.  Dawson,  H.  E.  Foote,  W.  H.  Mussey,  Wm.  Clendenin,  George  C.  Black- 
man, W.  P.  Thornton,  Wm.  Carson,  T.  H.  Kearney,  Daniel  Young,  B.  F. 
Miller,  C.  S.  Muscroft,  J.  W.  Underhill,  Georg  Holdt,  J.  C.  Mackenzie,  F. 
Forchheimer,  P.  S.  Conner  N.  P.  Dandridge,  E.  W.  Walker,  G.  M.  Allen, 
Joseph  Eichberg,  Erederick  Kebler,  J.  C.  Oliver,  E.  W.  Langdon,  H.  H. 
Hoppe,  J.  C.  Culbertson,  E.  W.  Mitchell,  Arch.  I.  Carson,  John  E.  Greiwe, 
J.  M.  Withrow,  G.  A.  Fackler,  O.  P.  Holt,  G.  Mendenhall,  Wm.  H.  Taylor, 
E.  Williams,  S.  C.  Ayres,  Jos.  Aub,  Robert  Sattler,  H.  J.  Whitacre  and  others. 

Among  the  earlier  staff  members  was  WILLIAM  CARSON,  who  was 
never  connected  with  any  of  the  colleges,  but  occupied  a commanding  posi- 

409 


tion  as  a clinical  teacher  of  great  ability.  He  served  on  the  hospital  stafif 
from  1871  to  1892.  He  was  born  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  in  1827,  and  received 
his  early  literary  education  at  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  where  he 
graduated  in  1846.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
taking  his  degree  in  1850,  and  located  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  gradually  rose 
to  one  of  the  highest  places  in  the  local  profession,  especially  as  a specialist 
in  diseases  of  the  chest.  His  skill  at  the  bedside  and  unerring  judgment  as  a 
diagnostician  were  a by-word  with  the  profession.  He  was  physician  to  the 
old  St.  John’s  Hospital  and  for  many  years  a member  of  the  staff  of  the 
Good  Samaritan  and  that  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital.  Carson  was  a man  of 
few  words,  of  a cold  and  austere  temperament,  but  rigidly  honest  in  his  inter- 
course with  his  colleagues.  He  died  in  1893. 


Wm.  Carson 

In  1877  a new  amphitheatre  was  opened  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
medical  students  from  the  different  medical  colleges.  M.  B.  Wright  and 
C.  G.  Comegys  delivered  eloquent  addresses  on  this  occasion. 

The  origin  of  the  library  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  has  been  referred 
to  in  the  biography  of  its  founder,  John  H.  Tate.  This  library  contains  a 
large  and  most  valuable  collection  of  medical  books.  Its  location  in  an  in- 
accessible part  of  the  building,  is  most  unfortunate.  It  is  a dark  and  dingy 
place,  ill-ventilated,  hard  to  keep  even  reasonably  clean  and  likely  to  be 
destroyed  by  fire  at  any  time.  The  absence  of  a catalogue  deprives  the 
library  of  most  of  its  value. 

The  hospital  is  about  to  be  abandoned.  The  politicians  in  1906  decided 
that  a larger  and  more  modern  municipal  hospital  shall  be  erected  in  the 
fashionable  suburb  of  Avondale,  far  removed  from  the  sick  population  which 
is  in  the  habit  of  seeking  relief  within  the  walls  of  the  public  hospital.  The 


410 


realization  of  the  scheme  was  begun  in  1907.  Thus  it  seems  that  the  political 
element  which,  according  to  Thacker,  has  been  the  curse  of  our  medical  past, 
will  dominate  the  future. 

The  management  of  the  internal  affairs  of  the  municipal  hospital  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  superintendent,  who  is  a political  appointee.  In  the  palmy 
days  of  the  old  Commercial  Hospital,  a picturesque  character  was  in  charge. 
His  name  was  Absalom  Death.  The  medical  students  insisted  upon  calling 
him  Absolute  Death.  Mr.  Death  was  a stickler  on  proper  form  and  was  fully 
imbued  with  the  dignity  and  importance  of  his  office.  He  had  a weakness 
for  technical  terms  and  a wonderful  facility  for  mispronouncing  and  mis- 
applying them.  He  was  a good  manager  and  very  popular  with  the  people  of 
the  town. 

In  1861  Abijah  Watson  became  superintendent.  He  was  followed  in  1865 
by  G.  W.  D.  Andrews,  who  remained  in  charge  only  four  months.  His 
successors  were  J.  C.  Mackenzie  (1866),  David  Schwartz  (1867),  J.  C. 
Mackenzie  (one  month  in  1867).  The  latter  became  an  honored  member  of 
the  local  profession.  H.  M.  Jones,  who  was  the  superintendent  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Hospital  from  1867  to  1888,  left  an  excellent  record.  He  was  a strict 
and  efficient,  yet  tactful  manager.  He  was  followed  by  T.  E.  H.  McLean,  who 
held  the  office  for  four  years.  In  1892  Frank  W.  Hendley,  a member  of  the 
profession,  was  appointed  superintendent.  He  showed  much  administrative 
ability  and  demonstrated  in  many  ways  that  he  was  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place.  The  politicians  did  not  care  for  him  which  is  probably  the  greatest 
eulogy  that  can  be  spoken  in  anyone’s  behalf.  Doctor  Hendley ’s  term  ex- 
pired in  1896.  His  successor  was  John  Fehrenbatch,  who  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 

THE  HOSPITALS  OF  THE  SISTERS  OF  CHARITY.  Since  1852  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  have  been  identified  with  the  medical  life  of  Cincinnati. 
In  that  year  they  opened  their  first  hospital  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Franklin  Street,  the  '‘Hotel  for  Invalids.”  Previous  to  1852  their 
work  had  been  in  the  care  of  orphans  and  in  teaching.  They  had  come  to 
Cincinnati  in  1829  at  the  request  of  Bishop  Fenwick.  The  Catholic  Cathedral 
was  then  located  on  Sycamore  Street.  The  Cathedral  School  was  placed  in 
their  charge,  and,  as  soon  as  they  opened  the  school,  they  took  six  little  or- 
phans to  live  with  them.  The  care  of  orphan  children  was  the  work  that 
was  particularly  dear  to  the  heart  of  Mother  E.  A.  Seton,  the  founder  of  the 
Community  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  The  home  of  the  six  little  orphans  in 
the  Cathedral  School  on  Sycamore  Street  was  the  first  orphan  asylum  in 
Cincinnati.  The  little  band  of  Sisters  that  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1829  was 
the  fifth  mission  sent  out  by  Mother  Seton’s  Daughters,  eight  years  after  her 
death.  In  1845  Sr.  Margaret  George  who  had  entered  the  Community  in 
1812  at  Emmetsburg,  Md.,  and  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  first  little  band  of 
Mother  Seton’s  daughters,  took  charge  of  the  Cincinnati  mission.  In  1852 


411 


the  Cincinnati  home  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  became  the  Mother  House  for 
the  entire  Community.  In  the  same  year  the  above-mentioned  Hotel  for 
Invalids  was  opened  with  accommodations  for  twenty  patients.  In  the  same 
house  Dr.  Talliaferro  and  others  had  conducted  a private  hospital  for  about 
ten  years.  Previously  the  house  had  been  occupied  by  a boarding  school  for 
young  ladies.  Harriett  Beecher  Stowe  had  taught  in  this  school.  When  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  took  charge  of  the  building,  they  called  their  new  institu- 
tion ‘‘St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids”  in  honor  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  the 
patron  saint  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Superior  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  Arch- 
bishop Purcell.  The  medical  staff  was  composed  of  the  professors  of  the 
newly  organized  Miami  Medical  College.  Coincidently  with  starting  this 
hospital,  the  Sisters  of  Charity  had  opened  a large  asylum  for  male  orphans 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Plum  and  Third  Streets  under  the  name  of  St. 
Peter’s  Asylum  and  a home  for  female  orphans  in  Cumminsville  (St.  Jo- 
seph’s Asylum). 


Dr.  Tarriaferro’s  Hospitae,  afterwards  Hotel  eor  Invalids  (1845) 


The  Sisters  rapidly  enlarged  the  field  of  their  activity  in  Cincinnati.  In 
1853  they  opened  a Boarding  and  Day  School  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Park  Streets.  In  the  following  year  the  “Stone  House”  on  Mt. 
Harrison  (near  Mt.  St.  Mary’s  Seminary)  was  purchased  and  formally 
opened  as  the  Mother  House  under  the  name  of  Mt.  St.  Vincent.  In  1854- 
the  Sisters  were  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Ohio. 

In  1855  the  St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids  was  moved  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  Third  and  Plum  Streets,  St.  Peter’s  Orphan  Asylum  having  found 
a new  home  in  Cumminsville.  The  cost  of  making  the  necessary  alterations 
in  the  building  and  fitting  the  latter  up  as  a hospital  was  borne  by  Drs.  Mus- 
sey,  Mendenhall,  Murphy  and  Foote.  The  new  hospital  had  accommodations 
for  seventy-five  patients.  It  became  a famous  institution,  whose  name  will 
for  all  time  to  come  be  associated  with  that  of  Geo.  C.  Blackman,  the  great 


412 


surgeon,  and  dear  old  Sister  Anthony,  who  had  charge  at  St.  John’s.  One 
day,  in  the  Spring  of  1866,  a man  in  poor  clothes  and  weak  with  fever,  called 
at  St.  John’s  and  asked  to  see  the  superior.  Sister  Anthony  received  the 
man  with  that  smile  with  which  she  spread  sunshine  and  mellowed  sorrow 
everywhere.  The  man  told  her  that  he  had  taken  sick,  and,  being  a stranger 
in  town,  had  applied  to  Mr.  Joseph  C.  Butler,  president  of  the  Lafayette 
Bank,  for  aid.  Mr.  Butler  had  given  the  man  a card  to  Sister  Anthony 
with  a request  to  take  care  of  the  man,  promising  that  he  would  be  respon- 
sible for  any  obligations  incurred.  The  man  was  made  comfortable  and 
nursed  back  to  health.  A few  weeks  later  he  went  to  see  Mr.  Butler  to 
thank  him  for  the  good  he  had  received.  Mr.  Butler  had  forgotten  all  about 
the  incident,  and,  being  thus  reminded,  went  to  see  Sister  Anthony.  When 
he  asked  what  his  obligation  was,  the  good  Sister  informed  him  that  there 
was  none,  that  “our  dear  Lord  would  pay  the  poor  man’s  debts.”  Mr.  Butler 
who  was  a Protestant  was  strangely  moved  by  this  demonstration  of  the 
purest  form  of  philanthropy.  He  was  shown  through  the  institution,  he 
asked  many  questions  about  the  work  that  was  being  done,  noticed  the 
crowded  condition  of  the  place  and  heard  Sister  Anthony’s  sympathetic  ap- 
peal : “We  could  do  so  much  more  good  if  we  had  more  room  to  take  care 
of  the  many  who  apply  for  aid,  only  to  be  refused  because  we  have  neither 
the  means  nor  the  room  to  receive  them !”  Mr.  Butler  left.  The  angelic 
face  of  Sister  Anthony  he  could  not  banish  from  his  mind,  her  plaintive 
words  continued  to  ring  in  his  ears.  When  he  arrived  in  his  office,  he  found 
Mr.  Lewis  Worthington  there,  waiting  for  him  in  a matter  of  business.  To 
him  he  entrusted  what  was  perturbing  his  soul.  Mr.  Worthington  became 
interested.  The  two  wealthy  men,  both  Protestants  and  both  husbands  of 
Catholic  wives,,  decided  that  so  worthy  a charity  as  Sister  Anthony’s  work 
should  be  encouraged  and  aided.  About  this  time  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment was  anxious  to  dispose  of  the  Marine  Hospital,  at  Sixth  and  Lock 
Streets,  which  had  been  a military  hospital  during  the  war.  Messrs.  Butler 
and  Worthington  purchased  the  property  for  $70,000  and  donated  it  to  Sister 
Anthony  and  her  associates.  The  conditions  of  the  deed  of  gift  were  that 
it  should  be  held  in  perpetuity  as  a hospital  under  the  name  of  “The  Hospital 
of  the  Good  Samaritan “that  no  applicant  for  admission  should  be  pre- 
ferred or  excluded  on  account  of  his  or  her  religion  or  country,  and  that, 
with  the  exception  of  cases  of  contagious  or  chronic  diseases,  any  and  all 
afflicted  requiring  medical  or  surgical  treatment  should  be  admitted  if  there 
was  room  for  their  accommodation;  that  one-half  of  the  rooms  or  wards 
should  be  kept  for  the  destitute  sick,  the  preference  being  always  given  to 
women  and  children,  and  if  practicable  one  ward  should  be  devoted  espe- 
cially to  sick  children,  and,  as  far  as  practicable,  consistent  with  the  object 
of  the  trust,  rooms  should  always  be  kept  for  receiving  those  victims  of 
accidents  occurring  in  shops,  on  railroads,  or  from  fire  and  other  causes; 
that  when  the  resources  from  paying  patients,  donations  or  endowments 


413 


K.f\v 


^ ' '/'  ('///'  V '"  ' 

St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids  (1860) 


The:  Ruins  ok  the  Operating  Room  of  St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids 
Plum  and  McFarland  Streets  (1909) 


414 


should  afford  revenue  sufficient  to  support  the  institution  as  an  entirely  free 
hospital,  it  should  then  become  such,  and  should  be  devoted  exclusively  to 
the  use  of  the  destitute  sick,  except  that  the  managers  might  receive  persons 
who  were  able  to  pay  for  special  medical  or  surgical  treatment  to  the  extent 
of  one-third  the  capacity  of  the  institution,  such  persons  paying  or  not,  as 
their  sense  of  right  might  dictate,  provided  that  all  the  funds  received  after 
securing  an  endowment  sufficient  to  make  the  hospital  a free  one  should  go 
towards  extending  the  buildings  and  accommodations : provided  always  that 
any  patient  should  be  at  liberty  to  send  for  any  medical  adviser  he  or  she 
might  desire,  though  not  employed  by  the  institution,  but  such  medical  at- 
tendance was  to  be  without  charge  or  cost  to  the  institution ; that  a portion 
of  the  ground  might  be  used  for  the  erection  of  a dispensary,  medical  or 
surgical  lecture  room  or  building  devoted  to  the  promotion  of  medical  or 
surgical  science,  but  such  building  or  buildings  must  always  belong  to  the 
institution  and  estate,  and  no  portion  of  the  funds  derived  from  the  hospital 
should  be  appropriated  to  such  improvements.” 

In  October,  1866,  St.  John’s  was  abandoned  and  the  Good  Samaritan 
opened.  In  the  same  year  the  original  Hotel  for  Invalids  (Franklin  and 
Broadway)  was  again  opened  as  a hospital,  this  time  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Episcopalians.  The  name  of  the  new  hospital  was  ST.  LUKE’S  HOS- 
PITAL. The  attending  physicians  and  surgeons  were  Drs.  A.  L.  Garrick, 
T.  H.  Kearney,  1.  Dodge,  C.  G.  Comegys,  J.  F.  White,  N.  Foster,  J.  F. 
Potter,  O.  D.  Norton,  Thomas  Wood,  C.  F.  Thomas,  Wm.  H.  Mussey  and 
E.  Williams.  Dr.  P.  M.  Bigney  was  the  house  physician.  The  institution 
lasted  about  four  years,  during  which  time  more  than  2,000  patients  were 
treated.  In  the  old  Hotel  for  Invalids  (1852  to  1855)  about  1,500  patients 
had  received  medical  attention.  In  the  new  St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids 
(1855  to  1865)  more  than  6,000  patients  had  been  treated.  The  medical 
charge  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital  gradually  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1867  W.  T.  G.  Morton  gave 
a demonstration  of  ether-anaesthesia  in  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital.  In 
1875  an  amphitheatre  for  clinical  teaching  with  a seating  capacity  of  four 
hundred  was  erected  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Roberts  Bartholow,  who 
collected  most  of  the  money  to  build  the  amphitheatre.  In  1891  a large 
annex  was  constructed  which  greatly  increased  the  capacity  of  the  institu- 
tion. Over  25,000  patients  had  been  treated  at  the  Good  Samaritan  Hos- 
pital from  1866  to  1891.  A name  which  will  always  remain  associated  with 
the  Good  Samaritan  is  that  of  Sister  Vincent,  the  good  old  Sister  who 
had  charge  of  the  drug  room  for  many  years  and  was  the  friend  of  every 
doctor  and  patient  in  the  institution  for  more  than  thirty  years.  She  always 
took  a special,  motherly  interest  in  the  internes.  She  began  her  career  in 
the  old  Hotel  for  Invalids,  and,  having  given  her  life  to  the  service  of  hu- 
manity, is  spending  the  eventide  of  life  amid  the  pleasant  surroundings  of 
the  Mother  House  on  Mt.  St.  Joseph.  Eor  several  years  the  Sisters  have 


415 


conducted  an  x\nnex  to  the  Good  Samaritan,  at  the  corner  of  Clifton  and 
Resor  Avenues,  in  Clifton.  The  next  five  years  will  witness  the  erection 
of  a magnificent  new  Good  Samaritan  Hospital,  on  Clifton  Avenue,  opposite 
Burnet  Woods  Park. 

The  history  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  Cincinnati  is  intimately  associ- 
ated with  the  development  of,  and,  therefore,  of  absorbing  interest  to  the 
local  profession.  In  1857  their  property  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Park 
Streets  and  the  Academy  on  Mt.  Harrison  were  exchanged  for  Judge  Al- 
derson’s  house,  “The  Cedars,”  situated  on  Price  Hill,  about  three  miles  from 
the  city.  “Our  Cousins  in  Ohio,”  a story  by  Mary  Howitt,  the  English 
authoress,  sister  of  Mrs.  Alderson,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  this  quaint 
and  beautiful  home.  The  house  is  still  standing.  Around  the  old  porch 


Good  Samaritan  Hospital  (1867) 


still  clings  the  trumpet-vine,  while  the  grounds,  with  their  restful  lawns, 
their  lofty  sycamores,  stately  elms,  their  catalpas  of  richest  verdure,  their 
cedars  and  locusts  have  lost  none  of  their  pristine  beauty.  Many  years  ago 
the  house  was  condemned,  but  it  is  still  standing,  a mute  but  eloquent  sur- 
vivor of  the  good  old  days.  Those  in  authority  have  thought  it  a sacrilege 
to  destroy  this  historical  landmark  of  the  olden  times,  unlike  the  vandals  who 
in  1908  laid  their  unclean  hands  on  the  old  Lytle  House  and  committed  a 
crime  which  must  condemn  them  for  all  time  to  come. 

The  rapid  and  healthy  growth  of  the  Community  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
and  the  extension  of  their  sphere  of  usefulness  to  many  schools,  orphan 
asylums,  hospitals  in  all  parts  of  the  country  with  Cincinnati  as  their  center 
of  activity  and  government,  was  in  no  small  measure  due  to  their  splendid 


416 


organization  and  to  the  excellent  work  done  by  the  Superiors  who  guided  the 
destinies  of  the  Community  in  its  early  days.  These  noble  women,  inspired 
by  the  greatness  of  the  task  before  them,  have  in  no  inconsiderable  degree 
contributed  to  the  sum-total  of  achievements  represented  by  the  medical  his- 
tory of  the  Middle  West.  Sr.  Margaret  George,  who  was  Mother  Superior 
from  1853  to  1859,  had  charge  of  the  Orphan  Asylum  in  Cumminsville  from 
1860  to  1863,  became  an  invalid  in  1864  and  died  in  1868  at  Cedar  Grove. 
Sr.  Sophia  Gillmeyer,  who  had  entered  the  Community  at  Emmettsburg  in 
1825  and  had  come  to  Cincinnati  in  1843,  died  in  1872.  She  was  the  first 
Superior  of  the  first  hospital  opened  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  There  is  still 
another  noble  character  that  made  the  somber  garb  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  a 
true  mantle  of  charity  for  all  those  who  were  weary  at  heart  and  heavy- 


Amphitheater  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospitae 


laden.  Sister  Anthony,  the  “angel  of  the  battlefield,”  whose  memory  will  live 
as  long  as  the  Boys  in  Blue  and  those  in  Gray  and  the  great  cause  that  was  at 
stake  during  their  struggle,  are  not  forgotten. 

Sister  Anthony  O’Connell  was  born  in  Limerick,  Ireland,  in  1815. 
Her  parents  emigrated  to  America  when  she  was  a child,  and  settled  in 
Maine,  and  afterwards  in  the  City  of  Boston.  At  the  age  of  twenty  she 
entered  the  Community  at  Emmettsburg,  and  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1837. 
Her  first  work  was  the  care  of  orphans,  first  in  St.  Peter’s  Orphan  Asylum, 
Sycamore  and  Sixth  Streets  and  later  at  Third  and  Plum  Streets.  In  1853 
she  took  charge  of  St.  Aloysius  Asylum,  Third  Street,  near  Western  Row, 
and  in  1854  of  St.  Joseph  Orphanage  in  Cumminsville.  In  1856  she  took 
charge  of  St.  John’s  Hospital. 


417 


On  February  16,  1861,  a hasty  call  came  for  Sisters  of  Charity  to  go  to 
Cumberland  and  take  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.  A band  of 
eight  Sisters  started  out  at  once.  Sister  Anthony,  in  her  eagerness  to  go 
where  so  much  misery  could  be  relieved,  arrived  at  the  depot  before  the 
others.  Thinking  that  the  others  had  entered  the  train  she  boarded  a car 
which  immediately  pulled  out  of  the  station.  She  returned  to  Cincinnati  and 
found  St.  John’s  Hospital  full  to  overflowing  with  soldiers  who  had  been 
brought  to  Cincinnati  from  Pittsburg  Landing.  She  was  ordered  to  remain 
at  St.  John’s,  and  at  once  went  to  work.  The  other  Sisters  had  proceeded 
to  Wheeling,  where  they  were  received  by  officers  of  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  Army.  The  remainder  of  the  journey  was  made  in  a blinding  storm 
of  sleet  and  snow.  Their  work  on  behalf  of  the  victims  of  the  war  forms  a 
bright  page  of  the  history  of  the  Civil  War. 


Sister  Anthony 


From  the  group  of  these  heroic  women,  who  worked  in  the  interests  of 
the  highest  and  purest  form  of  humanity,  Sister  Anthony  stands  out  in  bold 
relief.  To  the  soldiers  of  both  armies  her  name  had  a magic  ring  of  wonder- 
ful power.  To  them  she  was  the  incarnation  of  ang'elic  goodness  that  seemed 
like  a visitation  from  realms  celestial.  On  the  battlefield  of  Shiloh,  amid  a 
veritable  ocean  of  blood,  she  performed  the  most  revolting  duties  to  those 
poor  soldiers.  Neither  the  cries  of  anguish  of  the  dying  nor  the  unbearable 
stench  from  dead  bodies  could  check  her  in  her  ministrations.  To  the  young 
soldier  that  lay,  fatally  wounded,  upon  that  bloody  ground  and  was  thinking 
of  a lone  mother  at  home.  Sister  Anthony  brought  the  comfort  and  peace 
of  a mother’s  care.  In  such  moments  it  was  the  instinct  of  the  woman  in 
her  that  enabled  her  to  soothe  the  aching  heart  while  relieving  the  pangs  of 
physical  suffering.  Then  again  she  stood  bravely  and  attentively  at  the 
side  of  George  Blackman,  helping  him  in  his  operative  work  on  deck  of  one 
of  the  “floating  hospitals”  on  the  Ohio  River.  Limbs  were  quickly  ampu- 


418 


tated  and  consigned  to  a watery  grave.  There  seemed  to  be  no  limit  to 
Blackman’s  endurance.  But  no  matter  how  hard  the  work  or  how  trying  the 
scene,  Sister  Anthony  was  always  at  her  post,  her  only  regret  being  that  he 
could  not  do  more  for  her  fellowmen,  for  her  country  and  for  her  God. 
It  was  this  kind  of  a record  that  has  perpetuated  her  name  beside  those  of 
the  most  famous  commanders.  Every  year,  when  the  graves  of  soldiers  are 
decorated,  the  little  churchyard  at  Mt.  St.  Joseph,  where  the  mortal  remains 
of  the  “Angel  of  the  Battlefield”  were  laid  to  rest  in  1898,  is  remembered 
by  grizzled  survivors  of  the  great  struggle  and  by  witnesses  of  its  unspeak- 
able horrors.  The  silent  tears  that  flow  over  furrowed  cheeks  when  the 
Boys  in  Blue,  now  bent  under  the  burden  of  age,  assemble  where  Sister  An- 
thony sleeps  in  the  dreamless  dust,  are  her  monument  “more  lasting  than 
brass”  and  more  precious  than  a crown  of  gold. 


Wm.  E.  DeCourcy 

The  war  being  over,  Sister  Anthony  returned  to  her  work  in  Cincinnati. 
In  1873  she  approached  her  old  friend,  Joseph  C.  Butler,  and  pleaded  for  a 
class  of  unfortunates  who  were  amply  deserving  of  charity  and  yet  had  no 
place  in  this  part  of  the  country  where  they  could  receive  it.  She  pleaded 
for  the  poor  women  who  were  about  to  be  mothers  and  for  their  fatherless 
ofifspring.  She  did  not  appeal  in  vain.  Mr.  Butler  again  opened  his  heart 
and  his  purse.  Thus  the  Foundling  House,  in  Norwood,  conducted  by  the 
Sisters  of  Charity,  sprang  into  its  existence  of  good  deeds.  Here,  among  the 
poorest  of  God’s  poor  and  among  those  whom  the  world  will  not  own.  Sister 
Anthony  spent  the  declining  years  of  her  life.  Sister  Anthony,  just  a plain, 
simple  Sister  of  Charity,  gave  her  whole  life  to  that  which  was  consecrated 
by  her  faith  and  made  holy  by  unshakeable  hope,  and,  in  doing  so,  showed  to 
all  the  world  the  unfathomable  depth  and  world-embracing  expanse  of  that 
little  word  which  is  the  greatest  of  them  all — charity. 


419 


In  conjunction  with  the  Foundling  House  Sister  Anthony’s  helpmate  and 
adviser,  Wm.  E.  DeCourcy,  should  not  be  forgotten.  He  was  the  son  of  a 
physician  and  was  born  in  Campbell  County,  Kentucky,  in  1849.  His  ma- 
ternal great-grandfather,  John  Bartel,  was  the  first  storekeeper  in  Cincin- 
nati, and  opened  his  shop  in  1790.  W.  E.  DeCourcy  graduated  from  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1869,  served  as  an  interne  in  the  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital  and  located  in  the  West  End  as  a general  practitioner.  He  accu- 
mulated an  enormous  practice,  especially  among  the  Irish  Catholics.  He  was 
physician  to  most  of  the  Catholic  institutions,  notably  the  Eoundling  Asylum 
(commonly  known  as  St.  Joseph’s  Maternity  Hospital)  whose  obstetrician 
he  was  from  1874  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1907. 

The  Sisters  of  Charity,  in  1901,  added  another  hospital  to  those  already 
in  successful  operation  under  their  management  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  They  purchased  the  large  building  at  No.  640  W.  Eighth  Street, 
Cincinnati,  and  fitted  it  up  as  a modern  hospital.  They  named  it  '‘Seton 
Hospital,”  in  honor  of  their  founder.  Mother  Seton.  The  medical  staff  was 
composed  of  the  professors  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  The  building 
soon  proved  too  small.  In  1907  the  Sisters  acquired  possession  of  the  build- 
ings of  the  Laura  Memorial  College  and  Presbyterian  Hospital,  on  West 
Sixth  Street,  and  moved  the  Seton  Hospital  into  them.  It  is  now  a thoroughly 
modern  institution,  with  accommodations  for  about  one  hundred  patients. 
The  outdoor  department  is  conducted  in  the  interests  of  the  clinical  teaching 
of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute. 

The  work  done  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  their  hospitals  as  nurses  and 
as  trainers  of  lay-nurses,  is  a conspicuous  part  of  the  medical  life  in  Cincin- 
nati. Cincinnati  is  the  home  of  this  typically  American  Sisterhood.  The 
beautiful  Mother  House  of  the  Community  is  one  of  the  notable  structures 
of  its  kind  in  this  country.  It  is  located  on  Mt.  St.  Joseph,  a picturesque 
hill  in  Delhi  Township,  overlooking  the  Ohio  River  and  the  Kentucky  hills. 
The  property  was  formerly  known  as  Bigg’s  Earm  and  was  bought  in  1869. 
The  first  Mother  House,  though  built  of  stone  in  1883,  was  destroyed  by 
fire  two  years  later.  The  erection  of  the  present  immense  structure  was 
begun  immediately  after  the  fire  and  was  carried  on  slowly  and  in  sections. 
In  this  building  is  conducted  a boarding  school  for  girls.  Members  of  the 
community  who  are  unfitted  for  active  duty  by  age  or  sickness,  are  here 
cared  for  in  an  Infirmary,  amid  surroundings  such  as  only  the  “Miami 
Country”  with  its  majestic  Ohio,  whose  banks  are  replete  with  great  nat- 
ural beauty  and  historical  interest  affords.  Daniel  Drake,  whose  great 
heart  went  out  to  the  poor  and  sick,  must  have  left  the  heritage  of  his  philan- 
thropy to  these  noble  women,  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  It  is  strangely  sig- 
nificant that  they  began  their  work  of  caring  for  the  sick  in  the  same  year 
in  which  Drake’s  labors  were  ended — 1852. 


420 


ST.  MARY’S  HOSPITAL.  This  institution  was  organized  by  a con- 
gregation of  Catholic  Sisters,  called  the  Sisters  of  the  Poor  of  St.  Francis. 
This  congregation  was  founded  in  1845  by  Mother  Frances  Schervier  at  Aix- 
la-Chapelle  (Aachen).  In  1857  Archbishop  Purcell,  of  Cincinnati,  commis- 
sioned Mrs.  Sarah  Peter,  a recent  convert  to  the  Catholic  Church,  and  no 
less  distinguished  for  wealth  and  social  standing  than  for  her  superior  quali- 
ties of  mind  and  heart,  when  about  to  sail  for  Europe,  to  bring,  if  possible, 
German  sisters  to  this  diocese  to  care  for  the  sick  poor  of  German  nation- 
ality. Whilst  in  Rome  Mrs.  Peter  mentioned  the  Archbishop’s  request  to 
Pope  Pius  IX.,  who  had  received  her  in  the  Church  during  her  visit  to  the 
Eternal  City  in  1854.  The  Holy  Father  referred  her  to  Cardinal  Von  Geissel, 
of  Cologne,  who  at  once  proposed  the  Congregation,  founded  by  Mother 
Frances.  Accordingly,  on  August  24,  1858,  a little  colony  of  six  Sisters 
sailed  for  America.  Upon  their  arrival  in  Cincinnati  the  Sisters  of  the  Good 
Shepherd  kindly  gave  them  temporary  hospitality  in  their  house  until  the 
gratuitous  offer  of  a large  building,  a vacated  orphanage,  was  made  to 
them.  This  building,  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Fourth  Street,  between 
John  Street  and  Central  Avenue,  had  been  known  as  the  St.  Aloysius  Or- 
phan Asylum.  The  latter  had  been  conducted  by  a German  Catholic  society, 
which  generously  placed  the  building  at  the  service  of  the  Sisters  for  the 
time  being.  This  occurred  in  September,  1858.  It  was  the  humble  origin 
whence  the  growth  and  development  of  the  “Sisters  of  the  Poor  of  St. 
Frances”  in  America  began,  an  abandoned  and  empty  house,  without  fur- 
niture or  any  other  conveniences.  This,  however,  did  not  discourage  the  six 
pioneers.  After  some  pieces  of  furniture,  a stove,  etc.,  had  been  solicited 
here  and  there,  it  gradually  became  known  that  there  were  some  Sisters  in 
the  city  who  had  a hospital  on  Fourth  Street.  By  the  generous  donation  of 
Mr.  Reuben  Springer,  the  Sisters  were  enabled  to  equip,  in  a reasonably 
comfortable  manner,  a large  room  of  forty  beds  for  their  patients,  who  were 
admitted  cheerfully  without  question  of  creed  or  nationality.  Several  physi- 
cians then  volunteered  their  services  in  the  little  hospital.  Through  their 
work  and  influence  the  ministrations  of  the  Sisters  became  more  generally 
known.  Before  the  close  of  the  same  year  friends  of  the  good  cause  asked 
the  Sisters  to  permit  them  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  a more  suitable  site  to 
build  a hospital.  In  March,  1859,  they  were  able  to  purchase  a few  lots  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Betts  and  Linn  Streets,  the  site  on  which  St.  Mary’s 
Hospital  now  stands.  In  May,  1859,  the  corner-stone  for  the  new  hospital 
was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies  by  Archbishop  Purcell.  In  December 
of  the  same  year  the  building  was  consecrated  and  thrown  open  for  its  pur- 
pose. This  building  had  a front  of  90  feet  with  a depth  of  60  feet,  was 
three  arid  a half  stories  high  and  capable  of  accommodating  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  patients  at  one  time.  St.  Mary’s  Hospital  is  the  parent  institu- 
tion from  which  sprang  the  many  hospitals  and  infirmaries  conducted  by  the 
Sisters  of  the  Poor  of  St.  Francis.  They  opened  St.  Elizabeth’s  Hospital  in 


421 


Covington,  Ky.,  within  two  years  after  St.  Mary’s  Hospital.  Other  insti- 
tutions followed  in  rapid  succession : hospitals  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1862 ; 
Hoboken,  N.  J.,  in  1863;  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  in  1864;  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in 
1864;  New  York  City,  in  1865;  Quincy,  111.,  in  1866;  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1867. 
Owing  to  the  increase  in  the  work  and  the  responsibilities  involved,  and 
owing  to  the  inability  to  furnish  the  necessary  number  of  Sisters  for  any 
more  new  foundations,  the  Sisters  for  eleven  years  confined  their  work  to 
the  already  existing  hospitals.  In  1878  they  opened  a hospital  in  Dayton, 
Ohio,  in  1882  one  in  Bronx,  N.  Y.,  in  1887  one  in  Kansas  City,  Kans.,  in 
1888  St.  Francis’  Hospital  for  chronic  cases,  in  Lick  Run,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

As  patients  of  every  creed  and  nationality  were  admitted,  the  popularity 
of  St.  Mary’s  Hospital  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  after  a lapse  of  ten 
years  the  original  building  was  much  too  small  to  accommodate  all  who 
knocked  at  its  portals.  Accordingly,  several  lots  and  adjoining  buildings  on 


St.  Mary’s  Hospital 


the  west  side  of  the  hospital  were  purchased  and  a new  addition  planned, 
for  which  the  corner-stone  was  laid  July  10,  1873.  Shortly  after  the  old 
portion  was  also  remodelled  so  that  on  September  7,  1874  the  first  (new) 
half  and  on  October  3,  1875,  the  entire  structure  in  its  present  form  were 
opened.  The  building  thus  enlarged  increased  the  capacity  of  the  hospital  to 
more  than  twice  its  original  dimensions,  its  frontage  now  being  several  hun- 
dred feet,  and  its  capacity  about  300  beds. 

The  physicians  whose  devotion  to  the  cause  enabled  the  Sisters  to  begin 
their  work  of  charity  in  the  old  orphanage  as  a temporary  structure  were 
Briihl,  Sittel  and  Richard,  three  of  the  leading  German  physicians.  After 
the  opening  of  the  hospital  on  Betts  Street,  Drs.  George  Fries  and  George 
C.  Blackman  also  became  members  of  the  staff  and  attended  to  those  pa- 
tients that  required  the  skill  of  the  surgeon.  From  that  time,  at  varying 
intervals,  Drs.  Bruhl,  Quinn,  Hetlich,  Gerwe,  Mosenmeier  and  Wenning 


422 


served  as  the  physicians  while  the  surgical  work  was  done  by  Drs.  Blackman 
and  Muscroft.  C.  S.  Muscroft  was  the  surgeon  of  the  institution  uninter- 
ruptedly until  the  year  of  his  death  in  1888,  a period  of  twenty-five  years. 
Of  all  these  Wm.  H.  Wenning  is  the  only  survivor  and  still  in  active  service 
as  president  of  the  stafif  and  gynecologist  to  the  institution. 

Originally  there  were  but  three  departments  of  service : the  male  med- 
ical, the  female  medical,  and  the  surgical.  Soon  after  the  rebuilding  of  the 
hospital,  the  number  of  medical  and  surgical  attendants  was  doubled  and 
some  of  the  departments  subdivided  to  keep  pace  with  the  growing  special- 
ties. Thus  Jas.  H.  Buckner  was  the  first  oculist,  and  Wm.  H.  Wenning,  who 
at  that  time  had  charge  of  the  female  medical  department,  the  first  gynecol- 
ogist. Among  others  who  have  devoted  their  time  and  skill  to  this  worthy 
charity  were  A.  D.  Bender,  J.  C.  McMechan,  Francis  Kramer,  Fred.  Kebler, 
Geo.  C.  Werner,  Charles  Wilfert,  Jas.  M.  French,  Adolph  Grimm  and  John 
L.  Cleveland.  Most  of  them  have  long  gone  to  their  last  reward. 

While  St.  Mary’s  Hospital  is  a veritable  monument  of  the  highest  form 
of  philanthropy,  as  far  as  the  noble  Sisters  are  concerned,  and  of  excellent 
scientific  work,  silently  yet  cheerfully  performed  by  some  of  the  most  emi- 
nent exponents  of  medical  and  surgical  art,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  this 
great  institution  has  contributed  nothing  to  the  cause  of  medical  education. 
It  seems  that  no  public  hospital  is  exempt  from  the  duty  of  giving  some- 
thing to  the  profession  in  return  for  what  the  profession  so  cheerfully  and 
liberally  contributes.  Every  public  hospital  should  help  to  sustain  and  pre- 
serve the  profession  in  and  add  to  its  perfection. 

The  Sisters  of  St.  Mary’s  Hospital  are  (1909)  planning  the  erection  of  a 
large  and  modern  hospital  on  East  Walnut  Hills. 

LONGVIEW  ASYLUM.  In  1853  the  old  Commercial  Hospital*  accom- 
modated in  its  annex  147  insane  persons.  The  crowded  condition  of  this 
institution  had  long  been  a matter  of  concern  to  the  people  of  Cincinnati. 
In  response  to  the  popular  demand  the  County  Commissioners  appointed  a com- 
mittee of  medical  men,  Drs.  J.  J.  Quinn,  David  Judkins  and  A.  S.  Dandridge, 
to  investigate  the  condition  of  the  Annex  for  the  Insane,  and  to  report  on 
the  same.  They  urged  the  lease  of  temporary  quarters  for  the  insane  pa- 
tients of  the  hospital.  As  a result  of  their  recommendation  the  old  Ames 
Mansion  in  Lick  Run  (subsequently  used  as  a woolen  mill)  was  rented  at 
$800  per  annum  and  immediately  fitted  up  as  an  asylum  for  the  insane.  J.  J. 
Quinn  became  its  first  superintendent.  This  institution  served  its  purpose 
until  1859,  when  the  permanent  home  for  the  insane  was  ready  for  occu- 
pancy. This  permanent  home  was  located  on  a lot  of  nearly  forty  acres  in 
Mill  Creek  Township,  near  Carthage.  It  was  named  Longview  Asylum,  the 
name  “Long  View”  being  suggested  by  C.  G.  Comegys.  The  history  of 
Legislation  in  connection  with  the  care  of  the  insane  has  been  referred  to 
in  a previous  chapter  (see  biographical  sketch  of  VI.  B.  Wright).  While 


423 


the  Longview  Asylum  is  technically  a State  Institution,  it  is  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  under  the  control  of  the  County  of  Hamilton.  The  institution  since 
its  inception  has  been  constantly  improved  and  enlarged.  The  grounds  cover 
about  100  acres.  The  building  now  has  a frontage  of  about  1,000  feet  with  a 
depth  of  about  350  feet.  More  than  1,000  insane  persons  are  being  cared 
for  in  this  magnificent  public  institution.  Recently  the  Asylum  has  been 
opened  to  the  medical  students  of  the  city  for  clinical  instruction  on  a modest 
scale.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  immense  amount  of  clinical  material  con- 
tained within  its  walls  should  not  be  thoroughly  utilized  in  the  interest  of 
medical  education  on  a scale  commensurate  with  the  possibilities  offered. 

The  superintendents  of  the  temporary  asylum  in  Lick  Run  were  J.  J. 
Quinn,  Wm.  Mount  and  Oliver  M.  Langdon.  The  superintendents  of  Long- 
view Asylum  proper  were  O.  M.  Langdon  (1860-1870),  J.  T.  Webb  (1871- 
1873),  W.  H.  Bunker  (1874-1877)  and  C.  A.  Miller  (1878-1890).  Since 
1891  Frank  W.  Harmon  is  in  charge. 


O.  M.  Langdon 


OLIVER  M.  LANGDON,  who  might  be  designated  as  the  Father  of 
Longview  Asylum,  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1817.  He  attended  Woodward 
High  School  and  the  old  Athenaeum  (St.  Xavier  College).  He  read  medi- 
cine under  Jedediah  Cobb  and  afterwards,  graduating  from  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio  in  1838,  began  to  practice  in  Madison,  Ind.  In  1842  he  returned 
to  Cincinnati.  During  the  Mexican  War  he  served  as  surgeon  of  the  4th 
Ohio  Infantry,  his  assistant  being  Henry  E.  Foote.  He  was  present  at  the 
memorable  trial  of  General  Scott  in  Mexico  City.  He  returned  to  Cincin- 
nati in  1848  and  subsequently  was  appointed  physician  to  the  Lunatic  Asylum 
at  Lick  Run.  In  1859  he  became  the  first  superintendent  of  the  Longview 
Asylum  and  continued  in  this  position  until  1870  when  failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  seek  rest.  Five  months  before  his  death  he  was  again  elected 


424 


superintendent  of  Longview,  but  could  not  get  possession  of  the  office  owing 
to  the  fact  that  Dr.  W.  H.  Bunker  who  had  been  removed  from  office  by 
the  Directors  of  Longview  refused  to  surrender.  Langdon  resigned  to  give 
the  board  a chance  to  elect  another  man,  Dr.  C.  A.  Miller.  Langdon  died 
in  1878.  He  had  a national  reputation  as  a practical  alienist,  and  was  a 
recognized  authority  on  the  manifold  scientific  and  economic  problems  pre- 
sented by  the  care  of  lunatics.  During  the  early  part  of  his  career  he  was 
in  partnership  with  Jesse  Judkins.  Like  the  latter  he  was  a bachelor  and 
full  of  original  ideas  about  women  and  their  purpose  in  life.  He  had  a 
horror  of  married  life  and  in  the  very  hour  of  his  death  expressed  his  great 
satisfaction  at  having  followed  St.  Paul’s  advice  in  regard  to  matrimony. 
Longview  Asylum  is  a monument  which  perpetuates  the  names  of  C.  G. 
Comegys  and  Oliver  M.  Langdon.  The  former  urged  the  founding  of  the 
institution,  the  latter  laid  the  foundation  to  the  humanitarian  and  scientific 
system  followed.  Langdon  is  the  author  of  the  plan  followed  by  the  State 
of  Ohio  in  the  care  of  colored  lunatics,  formerly  incarcerated  in  prisons  like 
criminals. 


Jewish  Hospital 


JEWISH  HOSPITAL.  As  early  as  1850  the  Jews  took  care  of  their 
sick  in  small  houses  rented  for  that  purpose.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War  a movement  was  started  among  the  Jewish  inhabitants  of  Cincinnati 
which  resulted  in  the  opening  of  a hospital  of  more  pretentious  proportions, 
the  location  of  this  original  ‘‘Jewish  Hospital”  being  the  corner  of  Baum 
and  Third  Streets.  This  institution  which  in  its  day  answered  its  purpose 
most  admirably,  eventually  outlived  its  usefulness.  To  provide  more  health- 
ful surroundings  and  larger  accommodations,  a modern  building  was  erected 
on  Burnet  Avenue,  adjoining  the  splendid  edifice  wherein  the  Jewish  Home 


425 


for  the  Aged  and  Infirm  is  housed.  The  dedication  of  the  new  Jewish  Hos- 
pital took  place  in  1890,  its  capacity  being  about  forty  beds.  Since  1890  the 
institution  has  been  much  improved  and  enlarged,  several  new  wings  having 
been  added  to  the  original  structure.  Its  present  capacity  is  125  beds.  The 
institution  is  a thoroughly  modern  hospital  and  is  probably  the  best  equipped 
establishment  of  its  kind  in  Cincinnati.  In  conjunction  with  the  Jewish 
Hospital,  a training  school  for  nurses  is  being  successfully  conducted.  Miss 
M.  H.  Greenwood  is  the  superintendent  of  the  institution.  The  staff  repre- 
sents all  departments  of  medical  practice,  and  consists  of  twelve  of  the 
Jewish  physicians  of  the  city. 

OHIO  HOSPITAL  FOR  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN.  In  1879  a 
number  of  philanthropic  women  opened  a free  dispensary  in  the  interest  of 
sick  women  and  children  and  placed  it  in  the  medical  care  of  Ellen  M.  Kirk 
and  Martha  M.  Howell,  homoeopathic  physicians.  The  success  of  the  clinic 
led  to  the  founding  of  the  hospital  of  the  above  name.  The  institution  was 
chartered  May  9,  1882.  When  the  original  quarters  at  494  W.  Ninth  Street 
proved  too  small,  a larger  house.  No.  549  W.  Seventh  Street,  was  pur- 
chased and  became  the  home  of  the  hospital  and  a training  school  for  nurses. 
A homoeopathic  staff  of  lady  physicians  is  in  attendance.  The  hospital  is 
well-equipped  and  serves  an  excellent  purpose,  much  charity  work  being  done 
in  addition  to  the  regular  hospital  features  of  taking  care  of  private  patients. 

THE  HOSPITAL  OE  THE  GERMAN  PROTESTANT  DEACON- 
ESSES. The  year  1888  will  remain  memorable  in  the  annals  of  hospital 
work  in  Cincinnati.  It  witnessed  'the  introduction  of  the  deaconess  nursing 
system,  which  had  long  existed  in  Europe,  especially  Germany  (since  1836), 
and  had  accomplished  great  results  in  practical  hospital  work,  adding  to  the 
essential  features  of  modern  nursing  the  blessings  of  that  broad  humanity 
which  makes  nursing  a vocation  rather  than  a profession.  In  1888  the 
German  Deaconesses’  Home  was  founded  and  a hospital  started  at  533 
East  Liberty  Street.  The  building,  with  its  capacity  of  27  beds,  was  soon 
found  to  be  too  small  and  the  efforts  of  the  German  Protestant  Deaconesses 
and  their  many  friends  were  directed  towards  securing  better  quarters  for 
their  work.  The  result  of  their  labors  is  the  splendid  building  occupying 
the  southwest  corner  of  Clifton  Avenue  and  Straight  Street,  opposite  Burnet 
Woods  Park,  and  within  sight  of  the  imposing  buildings  of  the  University 
of  Cincinnati.  The  hospital  which  was  opened  in  1903,  is  thoroughly  modern 
in  its  appointments  and  equipment.  It  has  a capacity  of  100  beds.  The 
old  building  on  East  Liberty  Street  is  used  as  a maternity  hospital  and 
home  for  children.  A training  school  for  lay-nurses  has  been  in  successful 
operation  for  a number  of  years.  The  medical  staff  is  composed  of  fourteen 
physicians,  and  represents  all  the  different  departments  of  medical  practice. 

426 


The  number  of  patients  taken  care  of  in  the  hospital  in  1907  was  nearly 
500.  About  thirty  deaconesses  are  engaged  in  caring  for  the  sick. 

THE  HOSPITAL  OF  THE  METHODIST  DEACONESSES  (Christ 
Hospital).  In  1888  the  Methodists  founded  a home  for  deaconesses  in  a 
house  on  York  Street,  near  John.  In  this  building  of  eleven  rooms  Christ 
Hospital  was  opened  in  the  month  of  September,  1889.  Within  a few  months 
the  house  was  found  to  be  too  small  to  accommodate  the  patients  who  ap- 


Hospital  of  the  German  Protestant  Deaconesses 

plied  for  admission.  Neighboring  houses  were  rented  until  the  institution 
had  a capacity  of  sixty  rooms.  The  number  of  deaconesses  was  constantly 
increasing.  When  the  Home  was  opened,  there  were  but  two  deaconesses 
to  take  possession.  Within  two  years  thirty  deaconesses  were  engaged  in 
the  work.  Still  the  work  was  growing  and  the  need  of  larger  quarters  be- 
came imperative.  At  this  juncture  James  Gamble,  Sr.,  purchased  the  capa- 
cious house  previously  occupied  by  the  Thane  Miller  Boarding  School  for 
Girls,  and,  having  fitted  it  up  in  keeping  with  the  requirements  of  a modern 
hospital,  donated  it  to  the  Methodist  Deaconesses.  In  the  month  of  June, 
1893,  the  new  Christ  Hospital  was  formally  opened  with  accommodations 
for  sixty  patients.  The  hospital  is  pleasantly  situated  on  Mount  Auburn. 
Its  very  environment  suggests  some  of  the  most  brilliant  achievements  of 
Cincinnati’s  medical  past.  The  house  on  Auburn  Avenue,  located  to  the 
right  of  the  entrance  or  drive-way  leading  to  Christ  Hospital  was  many 


427 


years  ago  the  residence  of  Reuben  Dimond  Mussey,  the  distinguished  sur- 
geon. In  1900  a large  female  ward  was  added,  increasing  the  capacity  to 
eighty  beds.  In  1902  a power  house  was  erected  north  of  the  hospital  build- 
ing proper.  The  power  house  provides  the  institution  with  electricity,  ope- 
rates an  ice  plant,  a heating  system  and  a laundry.  Many  internal  improve- 
ments were  added  in  1903,  making  the  hospital  a thoroughly  modern  insti- 
tution with  a capacity  of  120  beds.  In  1908  a Nurses’  Home  was  opened 
in  conjunction  with  Christ  Hospital,  to  commemorate  the  name  of  Mary  E. 
Gamble.  The  nursing  staff  numbers  sixty  nurses.  Over  1,200  patients  were 
admitted  to  the  hospital  during  the  eighteen  years  of  its  existence.  Christ 
Hospital  has  an  attending  staff  of  seventeen  physicians  and  surgeons  and  a 
consulting  staff  of  six.  The  chief  of  staff  is  John  C.  Oliver.  The  dea- 
conesses, in  addition  to  this  fine,  modern  hospital,  conduct  two  kindergartens 


Christ  Hospitat 


and  three  industrial  schools,  and  exert  their  efforts  in  many  other  humani- 
tarian directions.  All  these  philanthropic  enterprises  will  preserve  the  names 
of  the  noble  men  and  women  of  the  Gamble  family  through  whose  generosity 
the  great  work  represented  by  Christ  Hospital  and  its  accessory  institutions 
was  made  possible.  The  Deaconesses  Home  and  Cincinnati  Missionary 
Training  School,  conducted  by  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  As- 
sociation, is  located  on  Wesley  Avenue  and  occupies  the  building  of  the 
old  Wesleyan  Seminary. 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  HOSPITAL.  This  institution  was  the  out- 
growth of  a free  dispensary  for  women  and  children  started  in  February, 
1889,  by  Mary  E.  Osborn  and  Juliet  M.  Thorpe.  In  May,  1890,  the  hos- 


428 


pital  under  the  above  name  was  opened  with  a capacity  of  about  thirty  beds. 
In  October,  1890,  a medical  college  for  women  was  founded  in  conjunction 
with  the  Presbyterian  Hospital.  The  name  of  the  new  college  was  the 
“Presbyterian  Hospital  Woman’s  Medical  College.”  In  1895  it  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Cincinnati  Woman’s  Medical  College,  mentioned  in  the 
chapter  about  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  Alexander 
McDonald,  a wealthy  Cincinnati  philanthropist,  had  endowed  the  Presby- 
terian Hospital  very  liberally  and  gave  substantial  support  to  its  medical 
college.  The  combined  medical  school  was  called  “Laura  Memorial  College” 
to  commemorate  the  name  of  the  only  daughter  of  Alexander  McDonald, 


The  Presbyterian  Hospitae.  Since  1907  the  Seton  Hospitae 

Mrs.  Laura  Stallo,  whose  untimely  death  had  occurred  a short  time  pre- 
viously. The  Presbyterian  Hospital  grew  from  small  beginnings  to  an 
institution  of  respectable  proportions,  accommodating  nearly  100  patients. 
Strangely  enough,  prosperity  could  not  keep  the  institution  alive.  Its  man- 
agement was  in  the  hands  of  a board  of  trustees,  consisting  of  society  ladies 
with  great  enthusiasm  and  the  best  of  intentions.  In  1905  the  hospital 
passed  out  of  existence.  The  buildings  in  1907  were  purchased  by  the 
Sisters  of  Charity,  and  are  now  the  home  of  the  Seton  Hospital. 

The  Laura  Memorial  College,  after  a relatively  successful  career  of 
eight  years,  was  abandoned  in  1903.  A discordant  faculty  was  the  direct 


429 


cause  of  dissolution.  The  obligations  towards  the  students  were  assumed 
by  the  Miami  Medical  College.  The  faculties  of  the  two  colleges,  which  in 
1895  combined  to  form  the  Laura  Memorial  College,  were  largely  com- 
posed of  teachers  belonging  to  the  Miami  Medical  College  and  the  Cincin- 
nati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  Altogether  about  150  women  re- 
ceived their  diplomas  from  the  three  institutions  (1887 — 1903). 

MARY  ELIZABETH  OSBORN,  born  at  Point  Pleasant,  W.  Va.,  in 
1856,  came  to  Cincinnati  when  she  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  attended  Wood- 
ward High  School,  taught  in  New  Jersey  for  a number  of  years  and  finally 
graduated  in  medicine  from  the  Woman’s  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia 
in  1883.  She  served  as  an  interne  in  a hospital  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  and 
located  in  Cincinnati.  A class  in  physiology  which  she  organized,  was 
attended  by  some  of  the  brightest  young  women  in  Cincinnati  and  eventually 


Mary  E.  Osborn  Juliet  M.  Thorpe 


formed  the  nucleus  of  the  first  training  school  for  nurses  in  the  city. 
Doctor  Osborn,  therefore,  is  the  pioneer  of  professional  nursing  in  Cincin- 
nati. She  was  an  indefatigable  worker  in  the  interests  of  the  physical  im- 
provement and  intellectual  elevation  of  her  sex.  She  delivered  the  first 
course  of  lectures  in  the  medical  college  for  women  which  preceded  the 
Laura  Memorial  College.  Doctor  Osborn  was  a splendid  type  of  a lady 
physician  who,  amid  the  labors  of  a busy  professional  life,  never  ceased  to 
be  a sweet  and  lovable  woman.  She  died  in  1896.  At  the  time  of  her  death 
she  was  probably  the  most  prominent  woman  physician  in  the  Middle  West. 

JULIET  MONROE  THORPE,  Doctor  Osborn’s  friend  and  associate, 
was  born  in  1851,  in  Xenia,  Ohio.  In  1874  she  graduated  from  Vassar  and 
matriculated  at  the  Woman’s  Medical  College  of  New  York  City,  taking  her 

430 


medical  degree  in  1878.  She  began  to  practice  in  New  York,  but  moved  to 
Cincinnati  upon  her  marriage  to  Charles  E.  Thorpe,  a Cincinnati  journalist, 
in  1880.  In  1887  she  was  associated  with  Mary  E.  Osborn  in  the  Eree 
Dispensary  for  Women  and  Children  (southwest  corner  of  Seventh  and 
John  Streets),  which  eventually  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Laura  Me- 
morial College.  Like  Doctor  Osborn  she  was  a splendid  type  of  an  ener- 
getic, cultured  woman,  deeply  interested  in  her  professional  work  and  giving 
promise  of  a useful  and  brilliant  career.  Her  untimely  death  occurred  in 
1891. 

THE  HOSPITAL  OE  THE  GERMAN  METHODIST  DEACON- 
ESSES. Among  those  who  assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Elizabeth 
Gamble  Deaconess  Home  and  Christ  Hospital,  were  a number  of  German 
deaconesses.  When  in  1895  it  was  decided  to  found  a home  for  the  German 
Methodist  deaconesses,  a part  of  the  German  contingent  of  the  Gamble 
Home  became  the  nucleus  for  the  new  institution.  The  latter  was  located 


Bethesda  Hospitae 


in  a rented  house  in  Hopkins  Park,  Mt.  Auburn,  and  was  called  “German 
Methodist  Deaconess  Home  and  Bethesda  Hospital.”  The  superintendent 
of  the  institution  was  Miss  Louise  Golder,  who  has  made  the  cause  of  the 
deaconesses  her  life  work.  She  is  a German  by  birth  and  obtained  a thor- 
ough and  practical  knowledge  of  the  purposes  and  methods  of  the  female 
diaconate  in  many  places  where  deaconess  institutions  are  in  successful 
operation,  especially  in  Germany,  the  home  of  the  modern  deaconess  move- 
ment. She  has  been  identified  with  the  Bethesda  Hospital  since  its  incipiency 
and  much  of  its  success  is  due  to  her  management.  In  1898  the  German 
Methodists  purchased  the  private  hospital  of  Dr.  T.  A.  Reamy  for  $55,000 
and  opened  it  as  the  Bethesda  Hospital.  The  purchase  was  made  possible 
by  the  munificence  of  private  individuals  who  were  interested  in  the  cause 


431 


of  the  German  Methodist  deaconesses.  Doctor  Reamy,  the  former  owner 
of  the  hospital,  contributed  substantially  to  the  original  fund.  The  new 
hospital  was  opened  in  September,  1898,  and  at  once  entered  upon  a career 
of  great  usefulness  and  prosperity.  It  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Reading 
Road  and  Oak  Street,  in  a healthful  and  picturesque  part  of  the  city.  The 
building  has  been  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  an  annex.  A home  for  the 
deaconesses  and  nurses  adjoins  the  main  building.  There  is  a special  build- 
ing for  maternity  cases.  Recently  a rest  home  for  sick  or  wornout  nurses 
has  been  established  in  the  beautiful  village  of  Wyoming,  Ohio.  The  hos- 
pital is  thoroughly  modern  and  is  open  to  the  profession  generally.  The 
medical  and  surgical  stafif  of  the  institution  is  largely  composed  of  homoeo- 
pathic practitioners.  Dr.  S.  R.  Geiser,  registrar  of  Pulte  Medical  College, 
being  the  president  of  the  staff.  In  1908  E.  H.  Huenefeld,  a wealthy  philan- 
thropist, purchased  “Scarlet  Oaks,”  a palatial  residence  located  in  Clifton 
and  surrounded  by  a large  natural  park,  and  donated  it  to  Bethesda  Hos- 
pital as  a home  for  convalescent  cases.  This  addition  gives  to  Bethesda 
Hospital  the  most  magnificent  sanitarium-annex  to  be  found  anywhere. 

In  addition  to  their  hospital  work,  the  German  Methodist  Deaconesses 
are  doing  private  nursing,  mos'tly  in  charity  cases.  The  Cincinnati  institu- 
tion is  the  mother  house  of  deaconess  homes  which  have  been  established  in 
Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Kansas  City,  St.  Paul  and  La  Crosse. 


The  United  States  Marine  Hospital,  Third  and  Kilgour  Streets,  was 

founded  by  the  Government  in  1885-  to  accommodate  river  men  who  are  in 

need  of  medical  attention.  It  has  a capacity  of  100  beds',  and  is  in  charge  of 
the  United  States  Marine  Hospital  Service. 

Speer’s  Memorial  Hospital,  Dayton,  Ky.,  is  practically  a local  institu- 
tion. It  has  a capacity  of  sixty  beds.  It  was  established  in  1895. 

St.  Elizabeth’s  Hospital,  Covington,  Ky.,  was  founded  in  1860  by  the 
Congregation  of  Sisters  who  established  St.  Mary’s  Hospital  in  Cincinnati 
two  years  previously.  It  accommodates  fifty  patients. 

St.  Erancis  Hospital,  Queen  City  Avenue,  is  an  infirmary  for  chronic  or 
incurable  cases.  It  was  founded  by  the  Sisters  of  the  Poor  of  St.  Francis, 
in  1888,  and  has  a capacity  of  nearly  400  beds. 

The  Home  for  Incurables  is  located  on  Beechwood  Avenue,  Walnut 

Hills.  It  was  established  in  1890  and  has  a capacity  of  fifty  beds. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Free  Hospital  for  Children,  Mt.  Auburn,  near 
Christ  Hospital,  was  founded  in  1883  and  accommodates  fifty  patients. 

The  Pulte  Hospital  occupies  the  upper  floors  of  the  Pulte  Medical  Col- 
lege building,  and  has  a capacity  of  forty  beds.  It  was  established  in  1905. 


432 


In  addition  to  the  institutions  named,  numerous  private  hospitals  have 
been  founded  and  are  in  successful  operation  in  Cincinnati.  The  Cincinnati 
Sanitarium,  College  Hill,  has  been  referred  to  repeatedly  in  this  book  (see 
sketches  of  Drs.  Beckwith  and  Everts).  It  is  a private  hospital  for  nervous 
and  mental  disorders,  drug  habits,  etc.,  and  has  a capacity  of  100  beds. 

F.  W.  Langdon  and  B.  A.  Williams  are  the  medical  attendants.  A similar 

institution  is  the  Grandview  Sanitarium,  Price  Hill,  which  accommodates 
forty  patients.  It  was  founded  in  1900  by  Brooks  F.  Beebe,  who  is  the 

medical  director  of  the  institution.  The  Ophthalmic  Hospital  was  founded 

in  1890  and  is  conducted  by  Robert  Sattler.  A private  hospital  of  twenty 
beds  for  gynecological  cases  is  conducted  by  Rufus  B.  Hall.  An  interesting 
institution  is  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Hospital,  on  Barr  Street,  for  colored 
patients,  and  successfully  conducted  by  a colored  physician,  Frank  W. 
Johnson. 


433 


CHAPTER  XX. 


MEDICAL  ORGANIZATIONS 

IN  a previous  chapter  the  purpose,  scope  and  activity  of  the  District  So- 
cities  have  been  referred  to.  These  societies  were  by  law  endowed  with 
power  to  adopt  and  execute  rules  for  the  control  and  regulation  of 
medical  practice.  The  idea  which  suggested  the  organization  of  these  Dis- 
trict Societies  was  excellent.  Unfortunately  the  practical  application  did 
not  yield  the  results  aimed  at.  Quackery  was  not  suppressed  and  legitimate 
practice  nob  protected  by  these  societies.  In  1833  the  Legislature  repealed 
the  laws  creating  District  Societies.  That  they  were  a failure  in  the  most 
essential  point  was  demonstrated  by  the  experience  of  twenty-two  years 
(1811 — 1833).  Yet  every  physician  of  the  State  felt  that  organization  was 
desirable  and  even  necessary.  This  general  feeling  led  to  the  issuance  of  a 
circular  letter  in  1834  addressed  “to  all  scientific  practitioners  of  medicine 
and  surgery  in  Ohio”  asking  them  to  meet  in  Columbus,  in  January,  1835, 
and  hold  a general  medical  convention  “to  advance  the  honor  and  dignity  of 
the  profession,  to  promote  the  cause  of  science,  to  elevate  the  moral  and 
scientific  character  and  talent  of  the  West.”  This  letter  was  sent  out  by 
Dr.  Wm.  M.  Awl,  of  Columbus,  whose  name  has  been  mentioned  on  a 
previous  occasion  in  this  book.  The  special  subjects  to  be  discussed  were: 
The  regulation  of  professional  etiquette,  the  construction  of  independent 
medical  societies,  the  support  of  a periodical  journal  of  practical  medicine, 
the  erection  and  location  of  public  asylums  for  the  reception  of  lunatics  and 
the  instruction  of  the  blind,  the  promotion  of  the  temperance  cause,  the  reg- 
ulation of  vaccination,  the  convenient  supply  of  the  leech. 

The  first  convention  was  largely  attended.  The  delegation  from  Hamil- 
ton County  was  numerous  and  enthusiastic.  Among  the  Cincinnati  attendants 
were  Drake,  Mitchell,  Eberle,  Rives  and  Mount.  Drake  delivered  an  ad- 
dress urging  the  establishment  of  a school  for  the  instruction  of  the  blind. 
Mitchell  spoke  on  the  necessity  of  erecting  a State  Lunatic  Asylum,  the  only 
institution  of  the  kind  in  the  State  being  the  cage-like  annex  attached  to  the 
Commercial  Hospital  in  Cincinnati.  Other  subjects  discussed  were : medical 
journalism,  higher  medical  education,  legalizing  of  human  dissection,  etc. 
In  all  the  doings  of  this  memorable  convention  Drake  was  the  moving  spirit. 
Before  the  meeting  adjourned,  he  entertained  the  members  socially,  every- 
one joining  in  the  following  Farewell  Song,  written  by  Drake,  to  the  tune 
of  Auld  Lang  Syne : 


434 


From  Erie’s  chill  and  misty  coast, 

Ohio’s  sunnier  shore, 

We  came  to  blend  our  various  thoughts. 

Then  part  to  meet  no  more. 

Ah ! we  must  part,  my  stranger-friends. 
This  kindly  greeting  o’er. 

But  let  our  hearts  together  cling, 

Deep  pledg’d  for  evermore. 

As  round  the  festive  board  we  stand, 
Where  wit  and  song  combine, 

Let  gen’rous  glances  mingle  bright. 

And  soul  with  soul  entwine : 

For  soul  with  soul,  my  trusty  friends. 
When  mingling  deep  and  warm, 

Can  glow  beneath  the  world’s  cold  frown. 
And  mock  its  cruel  scorn. 

When  o’er  the  midnight  lamp  we  toil. 
Nor  mark  the  fleeting  hours. 

The  dear  remembrance  of  this  night 
Will  cheer  our  languid  pow’rs. 

Your  notes  of  melody,  my  friends. 

Will  swell  and  echo  ’round, 

And  wake  our  full  and  dreamy  thoughts. 
With  soul-inspiring  sound. 

When  mercy’s  voice  shall  call  us  forth — 
The  storm-fire  for  our  light — 

The  tempest-song  shall  welcome  bring 
The  music  of  this  night. 

Then  high  and  strong,  my  social  friends. 
Our  gladden’d  hearts  will  beat, 

And  swifter  on  the  path  will  fall. 

Our  light  and  bounding  feet. 

And  while  beside  the  bed  of  death. 

In  darkness  and  despair. 

We  soothe  the  wretched,  friendless  man, 
To  fancy  you’ll  appear 
A faithful  band  of  happy  friends. 

To  light  the  dismal  gloom. 

With  kindly  eyes,  like  torches  ’round 
The  dark  and  dreary  tomb. 

If  near  the  trav’ler’s  blazing  fire. 

We  meet  in  foreign  lands. 

The  tear  of  friendship,  warm,  will  fall 
Upon  our  clasping  hands. 

Then  shall  this  parting  song,  my  friends, 
Ring  gaily  through  the  dome. 

And  sweeping  o’er  the  heart’s  soft  lyre. 
Recall  the  joys  of  home. 


435 


And  when  old  Time  around  our  brows 
Shall  bind  his  snowy  wreath, 

Bright  visions  of  this  scene  shall  rise,. 

To  stay  the  hand  of  death; 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  my  friends, 

With  genial,  glowing  ray. 

Will  ’mid  the  gath’ring  clouds  of  age. 

Revive  this  happy  day. 

The  second  convention  met  in  Columbus  in  1838.  An  interesting  report 
was  handed  in  by  the  committee  which  had  been  appointed  to  report  on  “the 
causes  which  contribute  to  depress  the  science,  dignity  and  usefulness  of  the 
medical  profession  in  the  State  of  Ohio.”  Drake,  who  was  the  chairman 
of  the  committee,  mentioned  as  causes : First — the  study  of  medicine  by  il- 
literates ; second,  students  begin  to  practice  before  they  are  qualified ; third, 
doctors  are  so  poorly  paid  that  they  can  not  afford  to  buy  books,  etc. ; fourth, 
doctors  frequently  pay  attention  to  other  pursuits  besides  medicine ; fifth, 
doctors  often  abandon  medicine  entirely;  sixth,  many  doctors  change  their 
location  too  frequently;  seventh,  doctors  advertise  nostrums  of  their  own; 
eighth,  doctors  do  not  cultivate  social  intercourse  among  each  other.  S.  D. 
Gross  read  a paper  on  “The  Nature,  Origin  and  Seat  of  Tubercles.”  Wil- 
lard Parker,  who  had  just  returned  from  France,  reported  on  “French  Sur- 
gery.” Thus  it  is  plain  that  at  this  convention  the  giants  of  the  Cincinnati' 
College  took  the  leading  part. 

The  third  convention  was  held  at  Cleveland  in  1839,  the  fourth  in  Co- 
lumbus in  1841,  the  fifth  in  Cincinnati  in  1842,  the  sixth  in  Lancaster  in 
1843,  the  seventh  in  Mt.  Vernon  in  1844.  From  1844  to  1851  the  Convention 
met  annually  in  Columbus.  The  Cincinnati  men  who  presided  over  these 
meetings  were  J.  P.  K'irtland  (1839),  John  P.  Harrison  (1843),  R.  D. 
Mussey  (1844),  A.  H.  Baker  (1846),  and  Wm.  Judkins  (1851).  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  an  opening  prayer  in  1838  was  pronounced  by  that 
marvel  of  versatility,  Daniel  Drake.  The  idea  of  organizing  a regular  State 
Society  was  conceived  in  1846  and  put  into  execution  a few  years  later. 
After  1851  the  meetings  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  took  the  place  of 
the  “conventions”  of  former  years. 

In  these  State  meetings  Cincinnati  doctors  played  the  leading  part.  Philip 
J.  Buckner’s  report  on  ovariotomy  in  1850  was  a document  of  historic  mo- 
ment. He  and  Dunlap,  of  Ripley,  were  the  first  ovariotomists  in  Ohio.  As 
early  as  1850  the  question  of  better  preliminary  education  of  medical  stu- 
dents was  agitated  by  Ph.  J.  Buckner,  of  Cincinnati.  In  1854  M.  B.  Wright 
won  a gold  medal  for  his  paper  on  “Bimanual  Version,”  S.  G.  Armor  a 
medal  for  his  paper  on  “Zymosis.”  Wm.  H.  Mussey  renewed  the  idea  this 
year  of  separating  the  privileges  of  teaching  and  the  granting  of  degrees ; 
and  a committee  was  appointed  to  digest  a plan  for  a Central  Board  of 
Medical  Examiners. 


436 


In  addition  to  the  prominent  part  which  the  Cincinnati  profession  took 
in  the  State  organization,  there  was  no  dearth  of  local  societies.  The  fol- 
lowing chronological  list  of  medical  'societies  is  complete,  as  far  as  any 
records  of  these  organizations  exist. 

THE  CINCINNATI  MEDICAL  SOCIETY,  the  first  of  this  name,  was 
organized  in  1819.  Its  officers  were  Elijah  Slack,  president;  O.  B.  Baldwin, 
vice-president;  John  Woolley,  secretary,  and  William  Barnes,  treasurer. 
Nothing  is  known  concerning  the  doings  of  this  society.  The  fact  of  its 
existence  together  with  the  names  of  its  officers,  is  given  in  the  Directory  of 

1819.  It  did  not  last  a year. 

THE  MEDICO.CHIRURGICAL  SOCIETY  was  founded  January  3, 

1820,  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  Western  Museum,  many  local  physicians 
attending.  The  ever-ready  Drake  had  a constitution  in  hand,  and  without 
delay  it  was  taken  up,  and,  after  some  amendments,  adopted  by  a large  ma- 
jority as  the  organic  act  of  the  society.  It  provided  that  its  names  should 
be  the  Cincinnati  Medico-Chirurgical  Society;  that  its  meetings  should  be 
held  at-  Cincinnati ; that  its  members  should  be  in  two  classes,  honorary  and 
junior — “the  former  to  consist  of  practitioners  of  physic  and  surgery,  or 
gentlemen  eminent  in  its  collateral  sciences,  residing  in  the  Western  Country, 
and  especially  in  the  State  of  Ohio;  and  the  latter  to  be  composed  of  stu- 
dents of  medicine,  who  shall  be  admitted  in  such  manner  and  under  such 
regulations  as  the  society  may  approve ;”  that  a dissertation  should  be  secured 
for  each  meeting  suitable  for  discussion,  “or  at  least  a debate  on  some  pro- 
fessional topic,  in  which  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  member  proposing  the 
topic  to  participate;”  that  provision  should  be  made  for  the  publication  of 
the  most  worthy  of  the  papers  submitted ; that  a library  of  journals  of  medi- 
cine, surgery,  and  the  auxiliary  sciences  should  be  formed,  “embracing  those 
heretofore  published  and  still  continued,  both  in  Europe  and  in  the  United 
States ;”  and  the  usual  provisions  as  to  officers  and  members  of  the  society 
were  made.  Article  7 provided  that  “every  motion  for  the  removal  of  an 
officer  or  the  expulsion  of  a member  must  be  made  in  writing  by  two  mem- 
bers, at  a meeting  previous  to  that  at  which  it  is  acted  on,  and  must  receive 
the  suffrages  of  three-fourths  of  the  members  to  render  it  valid.” 

The  by-laws  of  this  body,  submitted  by  a committee  and  adopted  at  a 
subsequent  meeting,  provided  for  weekly  meetings  of  the  society  from  No- 
vember to  February,  inclusive,  and  monthly  meetings  the  rest  of  the  year, 
the  latter  “at  twilight  in  the  evening;”  and  that  “no  session  shall  be  pro- 
tracted beyond  ten  o’clock.”  Medical  gentlemen  kept  early  hours  in  those 
days.  Every  candidate  for  junior  membership  must,  under  the  by-laws,  pass 
the  inquest  of  a committee  of  three  members  into  his  moral  character  and 
scientific  attainments ; and  even  upon  their  favorable  reports  he  was  not  to 
be  admitted  or  balloted  for  until  he  produced  and  read  a dissertation  on 


437 


some  medical  subject  and  sustained  an  examination  upon  the  same  before  the 
society.  He  was  to  be  formally  advised  of  the  objects  of  the  institution 
when  he  was  introduced  by  the  secretary  and  notified  of  his  election  by  the 
presiding  officer.  He  was  then  to  pay  two  dollars  into  the  treasury.  It  was 
no  small  matter  to  go  through  all  the  circumlocution  necessary  to  get  into 
this  pioneer  guild  of  the  medicine  men.  Members  were  not  to  be  interrupted 
while  speaking,  except  upon  a mistake  or  misstatement,  when  the  chair  was 
entitled  to  call  them  to  order.  No  member  could  retire  from  a session  of 
the  society  except  upon  permission  granted  by  the  chair.  Twenty-five  cents 
fine  was  imposed  for  each  case  of  non-attendance  upon  the  stated  meetings 
of  the  society. 

The  first  officers-elect  of  the  society  were : Dr.  Daniel  Drake,  president ; 
Mr.  Elijah  Slack,  senior  vice-president;  Dr.  V.  C.  Marshall,  junior  vice- 
president;  Dr.  B.  F.  Bedinger,  corresponding  secretary;  Dr.  John  Woolley, 
recording  secretary;  Dr.  C.  W.  Trimble,  librarian  and  treasurer. 

At  the  adjourned  meeting  of  the  society,  January  7,  1820,  a paper  was 
read  by  Dr.  Bedinger  on  the  bilious  epidemic  fever  which  appeared  in  Ken- 
tucky in  the  year  1818 ; and  the  following  question  was  proposed  for  dis- 
cussion: ‘‘Are  medicines  absorbed  and  carried  into  the  circulation?”  The 
first  stated  meeting  was  held  a week  from  that  date,  when  Doctor  Drake 
read  a paper  on  the  modus  operandi  of  medicines,  and  Doctor  Marshall  of- 
fered for  the  next  meeting  a paper  on  cholera  infantum.  Other  papers  read 
at  succeeding  sessions  were:  “Obstructed  Glands,”  by  Dr.  Vethake;  “Life,” 
by  Dr.  Bedinger;  “Hydrocephalus,”  by  Mr.  O’Ferrall;  “Death,”  by  Dr. 
Vethake;  “Typhus  Fever,”  by  Mr.  Wolf;  “The  Management  of  and  Im- 
proved Apparatus  for  Fractures  of  the  Thigh,”  by  Dr.  Hough;  “Scrofula,” 
by  Mr.  Wolf ; “Bilious  Remittent  Fever,”  by  Dr.  Hough ; and  other  topics 
of  similar  importance  were  treated,  by  both  honorary  and  junior  members. 
Some  of  the  questions  debated  were:  “Is  scrofula  an  hereditary  disease?” 
“Is  the  opinion  that  supposes  inflammation  to  consist  in  debility  of  the  capil- 
lary vessels  sufficient  for  the  explanation  of  the  phenomena  of  that  disease?” 
“Is  the  proximate  cause  of  primary  and  secondary  inflammation  the  same?” 
“Does  nosology  constitute  a necessary  or  useful  part  of  the  education  of  a 
physician?”  “Can  respiration  be  continued  independent  of  volition?”  “Is 
the  theory  that  supposes  cuticular  absorption  founded  on  fact?” 

Twenty-five  regular  meetings  seem  to  have  been  held  with  tolerable  reg- 
ularity during  the  Winter  months,  but  none  in  the  warm  seasons.  The  last 
meeting  of  which  record  is  made  was  held  in  March,  1822.  Few  members 
were  then  present ; yet,  it  was  voted  as  “expedient  that  the  society  should 
continue  its  meetings  for  the  next  six  months  at  the  usual  hours.”  Notwith- 
standing this  heroic  resolve,  the  society  disappears  from  history  after  this 
meeting,  according  to  the  accounts  given  of  the  society  in  Ford’s  “Cincin- 
nati,” from  which  the  above  sketch  of  the  society  is  largely  drawn. 


438 


The  list  of  books  accumulated  for  the  society’s  library  was  a short  one. 
It  included  simply  several  volumes  and  single  numbers  of  Doctor  Drake’s 
Western  Journal  of  Medical  and  Physical  Sciences;  some  numbers  of  the 
North-American  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal;  the  Aphorisms  of  Hippo- 
crates ; Three  Dissertations  on  Boylston  Prize  Questions,  by  Drs.  George, 
Cheyne,  Shattuck ; Wilson  Phillips’  Treatise  on  Indigestion;  one  volume  of 
the  Philadelphia  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal;  and  one  of  the  American 
Medical  and  Philosophical  Register ; and  one  medical  thesis  in  manuscript. 

THE  CINCINNATI  MEDICAL  SOCIETY.  The  Cincinnati  Medical 
Society,  the  second  of  this  name,  was  organized  on  March  4,  1831,  at  which 
time  the  following  gentlemen  were  elected  its  officers,  viz : Isaac  Hough, 
President ; Edwin  A.  Atlee,  first  vice-president ; Landon  C.  Rives,  second 
vice-president;  James  M.  Staughton,  chairman;  V.  C.  Marshall,  treasurer, 
and  Stephen  Bonner,  secretary.  During  the  months  of  November,  De- 
cember, January  and  February,  the  meetings  of  the  society  were  held  every 
Wednesday  evening;  and  during  the  rest  of  the  year,  every  other  Wednes- 
day evening,  except  the  months  of  July  and  August,  when  there  were  none. 
The  society  embraces  as  its  members,  almost  the  entire  medical  profession 
of  the  city. 

In  February,  1833,  the  society  obtained  a charter  from  the  Legislature, 
which,  at  its  annual  meeting  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  March  following, 
was  received  by  the  members — and  the  following  gentlemen  elected  its  offi- 
cers under  the  charter,  viz:  L.  C.  Rives,  president;  John  F.  Henry,  first 
vice-president ; Charles  Woodward,  scond  vice^resident ; J.  T.  Shotwell, 
treasurer;  W.  Wood,  chairman,  and  S.  Bonner,  secretary. 

Subsequently,  in  the  Fall  of  1833,  an  effort  was  made  among  the  mem- 
bers to  form  a library,  which  was  effected  by  individual  donations  of  money 
and  books. 

In  addition  to  the  library,  an  “Herbarium  of  Medicinal  Plants,”  and  a 
“Cabinet  of  Pharmacy,”  embracing  specimens  of  such  minerals  and  chem- 
ical preparations,  as  are  connected  with  the  materia  medica,  were  also  insti- 
tuted. 

It  was  customary  at  each  meeting  for  some  member  to  read  a paper  on 
any  subject  connected  with  medicine,  which  was  usually  discussed  by  the 
members  and  defended  by  its  author.  In  this  way  several  interesting  papers 
were  produced,  as  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth  and 
seventh  volumes  of  the  “Western  Medical  and  Physical  Journal.” 

That  the  members  of  the  society  were  enthusiastic  and  willing  to  work 
is  evident  from  the  published  reports  of  the  meetings  in  the  “Western  Med- 
ical and  Physical  Journal”  and  the  “Western  Medical  Gazette.”  The  or- 
ganization of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  in  1835  in- 
fused new  enthusiasm  into  the  members.  The  struggle  for  supremacy  be- 
tween the  two  rival  colleges  soon  reacted  on  the  Society.  It  was  abandoned 


439 


about  1838.  ‘In  1835  its  officers  were,  Landon  C.  Rives,  president;  Chas.  R. 
Cooper  and  James  M.  Mason,  vice-presidents;  J.  T.  Shotwell,  treasurer;  B. 
F.  Williams,  secretary;  L S.  Dodge,  librarian;  Isaac  Colby,  curator  of 
Herbarium,  and  John  L.  Riddell,  curator  of  Cabinet  of  Minerals.  The 
society’s  meeting  place  was  in  the  Cincinnati  College  edifice. 

THE  MEDICAL  ACADEMY  OF  CINCINNATI  was  organized  in  the 
Spring  of  1831  by  the  professors  and  students  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio.  Its  object  was  to  afford  medical  students  who  spent  the  Summer 
months  in  Cincinnati  an  opportunity  of  hearing  discussions  on  medical  topics. 
It  began  operations  April  1st  of  that  year,  with  Dr.  James  M.  Staughton 
giving  instruction  in  the  institutes  of  surgery,  Isaac  Hough  in  operative 
surgery;  Joseph  N.  McDowell  in  anatomy,  Wolcott  Richards  in  physiology, 
Landon  C.  Rives  in  the  institutes  of  medicine  and  medical  jurisprudence, 
Daniel  Drake  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  materia  medica,  John  F. 
Henry  in  obstetrics,  and  Thos.  D.  Mitchell  in  chemistry  and  pharmacy.  The 
Academy  was  abandoned  in  the  Fall  of  1831. 

THE  OHIO  MEDICAL  LYCEUM  was  founded  July,  1832,  and  in- 
corporated by  the  Legislature.  It  was  organized  as  an  appendage  to  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  comprised  the  professors,  students  and  friends 
of  the  college.  It  had  ten  honorary,  twenty-two  senior  or  regular  members 
and  thirty-eight  junior  members.  The  latter  were  students  of  the  college. 
The  Lyceum  met  once  a week  during  the  Winter  months  and  once  a month 
in  the  Summer.  The  exercises  consisted  of  a lecture  delivered  by  some  one, 
usually  one  of  the  professors,  and  an  informal  discussion.  The  first  officers 
of  the  Lyceum  were:  Thos.  D.  Mitchell,  president;  Isaac  Colby  and  Josiah 
Whitman,  vice-presidents ; Geo.  Baily,  corresponding  secretary ; W.  D. 
Helm,  recording  secretary ; Samuel  R.  Dunn,  treasurer ; P.  G.  Fore,  J.  P. 
Andrew  and  G.  B.  Walker,  curators. 

The  original  members  were  Drs.  Mitchell,  Mulford,  Staughton,  Walker, 
Parvin,  Ellison,  Andrew,  Cobb,  Colby,  Vattier,  Eore,  Dunn,  Waldo,  Law- 
rence, Eberle,  Sr.,  John  Eberle,  Jr.,  and  Messrs.  Helm,  Lovelace,  Goshorn, 
and  Glascock.  The  last  four  named  were  junior  members. 

During  the  first  year  lectures  were  delivered  by  Eberle  on  ‘Tnflamma- 
tion,”  Mitchell  on  “Epidemics,”  Staughton  on  “Scrofula,”  Thomas  on  “Burns 
and  Scalds,”  Colby  on  “Animal  Heat,”  Staughton  on  “Synovial  Inflamma- 
tion,” Fore  on  “Delirium  Tremens,”  Reed  on  “Iodine,”  Bailey  on  “Phren- 
ology,” Michaux  on  “Sympathy,”  Staughton  on  “Phrenology,”  Mitchell  on 
“Morbid  Anatomy,”  and  Pierson  on  the  “Circulatory  System.” 

The  Lyceum  did  not  survive  its  second  year. 

THE  HAMILTON  COUNTY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION  was  or- 
ganized May  20,  1837,  the  meeting  being  held  in  the  village  of  Carthage, 


440 


near  Cincinnati.  There  were  nineteen  physicians  present,  among  them  Daniel 
Drake,  S.  D.  Gross,  J.  P.  Harrison,  L.  C.  Rives,  professors  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  Cincinnati  College,  and  Wm.  Mount,  a trustee  of  the  same 
institution.  Asahel  Smith  was  elected  president;  T.  Wright  and  H.  Cox, 
vice-presidents ; L.  L.  Pinkerton,  secretary,  and  Wm.  Mount,  treasurer.  The 
association  met  every  three  months  in  Carthage.  It  was  an  appendage  to 
Drake’s  College  and  ceased  to  exist  when  the  latter  was  abandoned  (1839). 

THE  HAMILTON  COUNTY  MEDICAL  CLUB  was  organized  in 
June,  1842.  The  meetings  were  held  every  month  and  consisted  of  the 
reading  of  papers  which  were  followed  by  discussions.  At  each  third  meet- 
ing the  members  brought  their  ladies  and  enjoyed  a supper  with  music  and 
speeches.  This  club  lasted  about  five  years.  In  1844  it  appointed  delegates 
to  co-operate  with  the  Morgan  County  Medical  Society  in  devising  ways 
and  means  of  regulating  and  controlling  medical  practice  in  Ohio.  It  was 
suggested  to  organize  a State  Society  in  order  to  suppress  quackery  and 
urge  suitable  legislation.  In  1845  the  club  discussed  the  best  and  most 
effective  methods  of  protecting  the  material  interests  of  the  physicians,  of 
collecting  old  accounts  and  keeping  each  other  informed  in  regard  to  unde- 
sirable patients. 

THE  MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL  SOCIETY  OF  CINCINNATI.  The 
Medico-Chirurgical  Society  of  Cincinnati,  the  second  of  this  name,  was 
founded  in  1848.  It  was  founded  by  a number  of  Cincinnati  men  who  had 
assisted  in  organizing  the  State  Society,  notably  A.^  H.  Baker,  who  was  an 
indefatigable  organizer,  and  even  in  those  early  days  planned  a systematic 
organization  of  the  profession  throughout  the  State  and  founded  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  Society  as  the  Hamilton  County  branch.  The  perturbed  times 
in  1849  and  1850,  brought  about  by  conditions  in  the  Ohio  College  and 
through  it  affecting  the  local  profession,  created  an  apathy  that  manifested 
itself  in  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society.  The  latter  was  on  the  verge  of 
dissolution  when  Daniel  Drake  appeared  on  the  scene.  Drake  had  returned 
from  Louisville  after  an  absence  of  almost  ten  years.  He  found  the  pro- 
fession divided  into  cliques,  constantly  and  bitterly  antagonizing  each  other. 
The  American  Medical  Association  was  to  meet  in  Cincinnati  in  May,  1850. 
Drake  at  once  set  about  to  reorganize  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society.  He 
was  elected  president.  Stephen  Bonner,  at  whose  house  the  meeting  of  re- 
organization was  held,  was  elected  first  vice-president;  Wm.  Threlkeld,  sec- 
ond vice-president;  Geo.  Mendenhall,  recording  secretary;  John  A.  Warder, 
corresponding  secretary;  O.  M.  Langdon,  treasurer,  and  J.  P.  Walker,  libra- 
rian. The  society  met  on  the  first  Thursday  of  the  month. 

The  Constitution  of  the  society,  formulated  by  a committee  consisting  of 
A.  H.  Baker,  David  Judkins,  J.  Byrd  Smith,  and  O.  M.  Langdon,  en- 
couraged full  and  free  discussion  of  medical  topics,  and  made  it  the  pres- 


441 


ident’s  duty  to  call  the  names  of  all  the  members  after  a paper  has  been 
read,  so  that  every  one  may  have  a chance  to  make  remarks,  offer  criticisms 
and  otherwise  take  part  in  the  discussion. 

The  society  displayed  considerable  activity,  especially  during  the  first  few 
years  after  its  re-organization.  An  interesting  feature  was  the  periodical 
offering  of  prizes  for  the  best  essays  on  given  medical  topics.  The  men 
who  were  particularly  active  in  the  doings  of  the  society  were  the  medical 
teachers  of  the  city,  the  members  of  the  different  college  faculties,  especially 
of  the  Ohio  and  later  on  of  the  Miami  College.  The  presidents  of  the 
society  were,  without  exception,  men  prominently  identified  with  medical  edu- 
cation in  Cincinnati,  such  as  Drake,  Rives,  Mendenhall,  Lawson,  Murphy 
and  others. 

The  following  significant  item  appeared  in  the  “Cincinnati  Medical  Ob- 
server” (March,  1857)  pertaining  to  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society: 

“The  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  of  Cincinnati  voted  at  its  last  meeting  (February, 
1857),  to  hold  its  sessions  hereafter  with  open  doors.  A pleasant  hall  has  been  pro- 
cured in  Bacon’s  Building,  corner  Sixth  and  Walnut,  and  at  the  next  meeting  of  the 
society,  it  will  be  re-organized  under  the  name  and  title  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of 
Medicine.  We  believe  this  is  a good  movement;  we  hope  it  will  be  the  means  of 
harmonizing  the  members  of  the  regular  profession  of  this  city,  that  they  will  rally 
around  this  new  organization  and  make  it  a matter  of  common  interest  and  affection. 
If  so,  we  have  no  doubt  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise  or  its  influence  upon  the  pop- 
ular sentiment.” 

When  the  Academy  was  organized,  many  members  of  the  Medico-Chir- 
urgical Society  refused  to  permit  the  change  contemplated  and  decided  to 
continue  the  society  as  such.  A few  more  meetings  were  held  when  the 
plan  of  a merger  was  again  considered,  and,  mainly  through  the  activity  and 
influence  of  Robert  R.  Mcllvaine,  carried  into  execution.  During  the  year 
1857  the  same  individuals  performed  the  functions  of  president,  secretary 
and  treasurer  in  both  organizations. 

An  interesting  event  of  the  year  1856  was  the  visit  of  the  distinguished 
French  scientist  Claude  Bernard,  who  was  received  with  much  enthusiasm 
by  the  entire  profession.  He  came  in  response  to  an  invitation  extended  to 
him  by  Dr.  Mcllvaine,  his  friend  and  admirer.  He  lectured  on  “Epilepsy” 
in  a public  meeting  of  the  profession,  arranged  by  the  Medico-Chirurgical 
Society. 

THE  CINCINNATI  MEDICAL  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION.  Early 
in  September  1851  a call  was  issued  to  the  medical  profession  of  Cincin- 
nati to  help  in  the  establishment  of  a medical  library.  Forty-four  physicians 
responded  to  the  call  and  at  the  first  meeting  subscribed  $515  for  the  purpose 
named.  Drake  gave  140  volumes,  including  Cloquet’s  great  work  on  anat- 
omy, to  start  the  library.  Rooms  were  rented  in  the  buildings  of  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio.  The  library  rooms  were  formally  opened  on  January 


442 


9 and  10,  1852,  Drake  delivering  his  two  famous  discourses  on  ‘'Early  Med- 
ical Cincinnati”  and  “Medical  Literature.”  These  two  discourses  were  de- 
livered in  the  hall  of  the  Ohio  Mechanics  Institute.  On  April  16,  1852, 
Drake  gave  a public  lecture  on  the  “Causes  of  Consumption”  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Library  Association.  Drake,  who  was  the  life  of  the  asso- 
ciation, died  in  the  Fall  of  1852.  The  Library  Association  did  not  survive 
him  more  than  three  months. 

THE  CINCINNATI  MEDICAL  SOCIETY,  the  third  of  this  name, 
was  organized  November  18,  1851.  At  the  preliminary  meeting  S.  A.  Latta 
presided  and  John  H.  Tate  acted  as  secretary.  The  society  was  founded 
“for  the  promotion  of  good  fellowship  and  for  the  advancement  of  medical 
science.”  At  the  first  regular  meeting  Wolcott  Richards  was  elected  presi- 
dent; W.  S.  Ridgeley,  vice-president;  N.  T.  Marshall,  recording  secretary; 
J.  H.  Tate,  corresponding  secretary;  N.  S.  Armstrong,  treasurer.  The  so- 
ciety during  its  eight  years  of  existence  enjoyed  a high  degree  of  pros- 
perity. The  members  met  once  a month  at  the  house  of  some  member.  The 
members  were  the  most  prominent  physicians  of  the  city.  The  meetings 
were  well  attended  and  were  full  of  enthusiasm  and  animated  discussion. 
Charles  Woodward  was  the  first  one  to  present  a paper.  His  subject  was 
“Phlegmasia  Dolens.”  At  the  third  meeting  a paper  of  unusual  merit  was 
read  by  John  Locke  on  “The  Relation  of  the  Medical  to  the  Physical  Sciences.” 
An  interesting  feature  of  the  meetings  was  the  reports  of  the  so-called  “for- 
eign committees”  on  the  progress  of  medicine  and  collateral  sciences  in 
England,  France  and  Germany.  For  each  one  of  these  countries  a standing 
committee  of  one  man  was  appointed  for  the  year,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
submit  a monthly  report  concerning  the  doings  of  scientific  men  and  so- 
cieties in  the  countries  named.  The  presidents  of  the  society,  after  the  first 
year  were  John  Locke  (two  years),  Charles  Woodward,  Geo.  Fries,  Israel 
Dodge,  Thomas  Carroll  and  L.  M.  Lawson.  The  secretaries  were  1.  P. 
Walker  (three  terms),  J.  R.  Atkins,  C.  A.  Doherty,  Richard  Gray  and  M.  T. 
Carey.  Many  excellent  papers  that  were  read  before  this  society  were  pub- 
lished in  the  “Western  Lancet.” 

The  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  had  sixty-four  members  in  1853,  eighty 
in  1856.  During  the  first  few  years  of  its  existence  the  meetings  were  largely 
attended  by  men  who  were  not  connected  with  any  college.  There  was  an 
evident  desire  not  to  allow  the  friction  and  bitter  feeling  among  the  men 
attached  to  the  three  rival  colleges  to  find  a vent  in  these  meetings.  The 
feeling  of  the  members  in  regard  to  John  Locke,  who  had  been  ignominiously 
expelled  from  the  Ohio  College,  was  apparent  in  his  election  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  society  for  two  terms.  Most  of  the  men  who  were  elected  to 
an  office  in  this  society  were  not  connected  with  any  college. ' In  1860  the 
Cincinnati  Medical  Society  was  merged  into  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of 
Medicine.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  to  consolidate  was  made  in  1857,  at  the 


443 


time  when  the  Academy  was  founded.  Action  was  postponed  because  the 
members  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  wanted  to  wait  and  see  how  the 
new  venture  would  succeed.  After  the  first  enthusiasm  had  worn  oflf,  the 
Academy  started  to  hold  meetings  at  the  houses  of  dififerent  members,  and 
the  members  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  declined  to  merge.  At  this 
juncture  (1860)  Robert  R.  Mcllvaine,  the  indefatigable  founder  of  the 
Academy,  returned  from  Paris,  kindled  the  fires  of  enthusiasm  anew,  es- 
tablished weekly  meetings  of  the  Academy  in  a special  hall  and  finally  induced 
the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  to  become  a part  of  the  Academy. 

An  interesting  event  of  the  year  1853  was  the  visit  of  the  famous  physi- 
ologist, Marshall  Hall,  who  spent  a week  or  more  in  Cincinnati,  and  attended 
a meeting  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society,  in  which  he  spoke  on  “Epi- 
lepsy.” In  1856  the  society  held  a public  meeting  in  Smith  and  Nixon’s  Hall 
in  honor  of  John  Locke’s  memory.  At  this  meeting  M.  B.  Wright  delivered 


Israel  S.  Dodge  Woecott  Richards 


his  famous  oration  on  “The  Life  and  Services  of  John  Locke.”  One  of  the 
eminent  members  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  was  ISRAEL  S. 
DODGE,  born  in  Waterford,  Ohio,  in  1807,  and  educated  at  Kenyon  Col- 
lege. He  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1835,  located  in 
Cincinnati,  and  for  thirty-seven  years  occupied  a leading  position  as  a gen- 
eral practitioner.  He  was  not  connected  with  any  college,  but  owing  to  his 
prominent  position,  wielded  a vast  influence  on  the  trend  of  medical  afifairs. 
There  was  no  physician  that  was  more  highly  esteemed  by  George  C.  Black- 
man than  Dodge.  He  was  a staunch  supporter  of  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio.  His  death  occurred  in  1872. 

Another  conspicuous  figure  in  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  was  WOL- 
COTT RICHARDS,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  local  profession  during  his 
long  professional  career.  He  was  born  in  New  London,  Conn.,  in  1803.  He 


444 


attended  lectures  at  and  in  1828  graduated  from  the  Medical  School  of  Yale 
College.  He  located  in  Brooklyn,  then  a town  of  not  more  than  12,000  in- 
habitants, but  soon  followed  the  many  of  varied  crafts  and  professions  who 
were  going  West  in  search  of  a future.  He  located  in  Cincinnati  within  a 
year  after  his  graduation  and  entered  general  practice.  He  was  of  frail 
build  and  a lifelong  sufferer  from  dyspepsia.  In  spite  of  these  difficulties 
he  took  care  of  an  enormous  practice  during  a period  of  thirty  years,  en- 
joying the  esteem  and  patronage  of  the  best  families  of  the  city.  He  took 
no  part  in  the  factional  fights  of  the  medical  schools,  but  possessed  and  exer- 
cised the  happy  faculty  of  remaining  on  good  terms  with  all  factions.  He 
took  a lively  interest  in  the  doings  of  medical  societies  and  impersonated  in 
all  his  actions  the  best  type  of  the  general  practitioner.  After  thirty  years 
of  hard  professional  work  he  concluded  that  he  had  done  his  share  and  he 
accordingly  retired  from  practice.  He  bought  a small  farm  near  Waltham, 
Mass.,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  cultivating  the  soil  and  enter- 
taining his  friends  from  the  West,  many  of  whom  gladly  availed  themselves 
of  the  opportunity  of  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  the  courtly  old  gentleman 
who  would  talk  about  the  prospects  of  crops  with  as  much  earnestness  and 
enthusiasm  as  he  had  ever  discussed  a problem  in  therapeutics.  He  died  of 
brain  tumor  in  1871.  Doctor  Richards  was  the  bosom  friend  of  Daniel 
Drake.  During  the  latter’s  last  illness  Richards  was  in  constant  attendance. 

Another  prominent  man  in  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  was  GEORGE 
FRIES,  a good  surgeon,  who  has  been  referred  to  in  connection  with  James 
Graham,  whose  brother-in-law  he  was. 

THE  ACADEMY  OF  MEDICINE  OF  CINCINNATI.  At  a meeting 
of  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  of  Cincinnati,  February,  1857,  Dr.  Robert 
R.  Mcllvaine,  who  had  just  returned  from  one  of  his  periodical  visits  to 
Paris,  told  the  members  about  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine  and  the 
splendid  work  that  was  being  done  by  the  latter.  He  suggested  that  the 
interests  of  professional  unity  and  progress  and  of  the  public  good  in  mat- 
ters of  health  might  be  effectively  advanced  by  a society  similar  in  plan, 
scope  and  method  to  the  New  York  Academy.  In  his  intense  and  fervent 
manner  he  pleaded  for  a society  that  should  be  thoroughly  democratic  in 
principle,  in  which  there  should  be  no  exclusiveness,  in  which  any  one  with  a 
diploma  from  a reputable  school  of  medicine  and  with  an  unblemished  pro- 
fessional reputation  would  be  welcome  as  a free  and  equal  member.  This 
society  should  be  governed  by  the  will  of  the  majority,  not  by  a small  coterie 
constituting  the  ‘‘aristocratic”  minority.  The  society  should  meet  in  a public 
hall  and  not  at  the  house  of  members  where  an  expensive  collation  was 
served  and  every  one  felt  himself  a guest  and  necessarily  under  restraint 
and  obligation.  Last,  but  not  least,  the  meetings  of  the  society  should  be 
open  to  the  public  for  ventilation  of  important  sanitary  and  hygienic  ques- 
tions and  dissemination  of  knowledge.  Doctor  Mcllvaine  aroused  consid- 

445 


erable  enthusiasm,  and,  after  enlisting  the  interest  and  support  of  most  of 
the  prominent  physicians  of  the  city,  he  procured  the  use  of  the  lecture  room 
in  Bacon’s  Building,  northwest  corner  of  Sixth  and  Walnut  Streets,  for  a 
meeting  at  which  the  new  society  would  be  organized. 

The  time  was  singularly  opportune.  The  merger  of  the  Ohio  and  Miami 
Colleges  was  about  to  be  consummated.  The  meeting  was  held  and  Drs. 
Stephen  Bonner,  Wm.  Clendenin,  C.  G.  Comegys,  H.  E.  Foote,  A.  E.  Heigh- 
way,  C.  B.  Hughes,  A.  M.  Johnscai,  J.  P.  Judkins,  Wm.  Judkins,  R.  R.  Mc- 
McBvaine,  J.  A.  Murphy,  R.  D.  Mussey,  W.  H.  Mussey,  J.  B.  Smith,  E.  B. 
Stevens,  J.  T.  Webb,  E.  Williams  and  J.  F.  White  became  the  charter- 
members  of  the  new  society,  the  “Academy  of  Medicine  of  Cincinnati.” 
They  were  almost  without  exception  men  who  had  been  connected  with  the 
Miami  Medical  College.  The  Ohio  contingent  remained  with  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  and  Cincinnati  Medical  Societies.  At  the  first  regular  meeting 
of  the  Academy  the  Nestor  of  the  Cincinnati  profession,  Reuben  D.  Mussey, 
was  elected  president ; J.  Byrd  Smith,  first  vice-president ; Robert  R.  Mc- 
Ilvaine,  second  vice-president;  C.  B.  Hughes,  recording  secretary;  C.  G. 
Comegys,  corresponding  secretary;  Wm.  Clendenin,  treasurer;  J.  P.  Jud- 
kins, librarian. 

The  first  regular  meeting  was  held  May  4,  1857.  President  Mussey  de- 
livered an  inaugural  address  in  which  he  touched  upon  what  he  understood 
to  be  the  principal  objects  to  be  attained  by  the  establishment  of  the  Acad- 
emy; namely  the  investigation  and  discussion  of  such  subjects  as  vital  sta- 
tistics ; public  and  private  hygiene ; adulteration  of  food ; progress  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery ; condition  of  the  atmosphere  in  relation  to  epidemics ; orig- 
inal observations  of  disease;  the  encouragement  of  medical  scholarship;  and 
of  making  the  procedings  of  the  Academy  the  basis  of  public  opinion  in 
matters  pertaining  to  medicine.  The  doctor  concluded  by  hoping  that  a love 
of  truth  would  prevail  over  rivalry  and  dissention ; it  was  this  hope  that  had 
induced  him  to  accept  the  honor  that  the  Academy  had  been  pleased  to 
bestow  upon  him.  Mussey  was  very  feeble  and  unable  to  attend  to  his 
duties  as  the  presiding  officer.  In  his  place  Dr.  J.  B.  Smith,  the  vice-presi- 
dent, presided,  who  happened  to  be  the  president  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical 
Society  in  that  year.  C.  B.  Hughes  was  the  secretary  of  both  societies,  and 
Wm.  Clendenin  the  treasurer  of  both. 

After  the  members  had  listened  to  the  inaugural  address,  medical  sub- 
jects were  brought  up  for  discussion.  R.  D.  Mussey  called  attention  to  the 
usefulness  of  extr.  belladonnae  and  ox.  zinc  in  the  treatment  of  night-sweats. 
J.  B.  Smith  reported  a case  of  malignant  scarlatina,  attended  with  great 
enlargement  and  suppuration  of  the  parotid  glands,  and  sloughing  so  exten- 
sive as  to  expose  the  large  vessels  of  the  neck.  The  patient  died  from  the 
exhaustion,  fifty  hours  after  sloughing  commenced. 

At  the  June  meeting  C.  G.  Comegys  read  a paper  on  “Adulteration  of 
Food,”  giving  a detailed  account  of  the  admixture  of  various  innutritious 


446 


and  even  poisonous  substances  with  nearly  every  article  of  food  of  prime 
necessity,  as  made  known  by  commissioners  appointed  for  that  purpose  by 
European  governments.  Such  substances  have  been  detected  in  the  follow- 
ing articles,  tea,  coffee,  cocoa,  chocolate,  sugar,  honey,  milk,  flour,  bread, 
butter , lard , arrow-root,  tapioca,  sage,  mustard,  pepper,  vinegar,  pickles , 
sauces,  spices,  gelatin,  cheese,  confectionery,  malt  liquors,  distilled  liquors , to- 
bacco, snuff,  drugs,  etc.  Thus,  exhausted  tea  leaves,  leaves  of  sycamore,  horse 
chestnut,  plum,  hawthorn,  and  beech,  are  used  in  the  adulteration  of  tea : and 
to  give  these  substances  the  proper  taste  and  color,  black  lead,  indigo,  Prus- 
sian blue,  chrome  yellow,  Venetian  red,  salts  of  copper  and  potassa,  cop- 
peras, and  gum  catechu,  are  used.  There  exists  a general  belief  that  similar 
frauds  are  practiced  in  this  country;  and  the  author  took  the  ground,  that 
it  is  the  duty  of  our  city  governments  to  appoint  competent  persons  to  in- 
vestigate the  subject.  In  conclusion,  he  gave  the  results  of  his  own  recent 
examinations  of  sixteen  specimens  of  milk,  procured  from  different  venders 
of  the  article  in  this  city.  The  examinations  were  conducted  with  special 
reference  to  the  adulterations  with  water,  and  proved  the  fact,  that  at  least 
six  specimens  were  so  adulterated. 

In  view  of  these  facts  set  forth.  Professor  Comegys  submitted  the  fol- 
lowing preamble  and  resolution : 

“Whereas,  the  adulteration  of  food  is  now  becoming  so  common  as  to  interfere, 
not  only  with  the  comfort,  but  the  health  also  of  the  people,  whose  attention  has  already 
been  seriously  drawn  to  the  subject,  this  Academy,  feeling  that  hygiene  is  one  of  the 
most  important  departments  of  medical  science,  and,  not  being  possessed  of  authority 
or  means  to  investigate  the  matter,  therefore, 

“Resolved,  That  the  City  Council  be  called  upon  to  pass  such  ordinances  as  shall 
create  a permanent  commission,  clothed  with  full  power  to  investigate  thoroughly  the 
nature  and  extent  of  adulterations  of  the  chief  articles  used  as  food  and  beverages  by 
the  people  of  Cincinnati.” 

Dr.  J.  F.  White  complimented  the  author  for  his  industry  in  collecting 
the  facts  developed  by  other  experimenters,  and  regretted  that  he  had  not 
extended  his  own  examinations.  “The  subject,”  said  the  doctor,  “is  worthy 
of  our  attention  as  medical  men,  and  I regard  it  as  highly  probable,  that  the 
persistence  of  many  chronic  diseases  may  be  traced  to  adulterated  food.” 
But  he  ridiculed  the  proposition  to  appeal  to  the  City  Council,  and  thought, 
even  if  Council  should  adopt  our  views,  they  would  appoint  a person  to  carry 
them  out,  of  whom  the  present  chemical  inspector  of  liquors  would  be  the 
prototype. 

Dr.  E.  B.  Stevens  said  we  ought  to  be  in  possession  of  more  conclusive 
evidence  that  such  adulterations  are  carried  on  in  this  city,  before  we  bring 
the  matter  before  the  public  authorities.  By  presenting  the  subject  in  the 
present  state  of  facts,  we  would  subject  ourselves  to  ridicule. 

Dr.  R.  R.  Mcllvaine  remarked,  that  as  our  great  aim  is  to  bring  the 
truth  to  light,  and  as  we  have  faith  in  our  own  acts,  we  ought  not  to  be 


447 


influenced  by  such  fears.  This  would  not  be  the  first  effort  at  progress  that 
has  been  met  with  sneers  and  ridicule.  These  were  to  be  expected;  and  for 
one,  he  was  prepared  for  them. 

Dr.  Wm.  Krause,  having  been  invited  to  express  his  views  on  the  sub- 
ject, said:  “In  my  judgment,  it  is  not  the  province  of  the  Government  to 
interfere  with  the  sale  of  articles  of  food;  moreover,  there  is  great  difflculty 
in  the  execution  of  such  laws.” 

On  motion  of  Doctor  Bonner,  the  preamble  and  resolution  were  laid  on 
the  table  for  future  discussion. 

The  new  society  which  had  begun  its  career  amid  all  the  evidences  of 
healthy  interest  and  enthusiasm,  soon  showed  signs  of  apathy  on  the  part  of 
its  members.  Inability  to  raise  sufficient  funds  to  meet  the  expense  of  hall 
rent,  prompted  the  few  faithful  to  give  up  Bacon’s  Hall  and  hold  the  meet- 
ings of  the  academy  in  the  office  of  John  F.  White,  at  Fourth  and  Race 
Streets,  where  a few  years  previously  the  Miami  Medical  College  had  been 
organized.  The  attendance  at  these  meetings  was  small,  usually  not  more 
than  four  or  five  members  being  present.  At  one  of  these  meetings  Doctor 
Mcllvaine,  who  had  again  just  returned  from  Paris,  put  in  an  appearance 
and  in  no  uncertain  terms  gave  vent  to  his  surprise  and  disgust  at  the  low 
state  of  the  society  and  the  general  apathy  of  the  members.  He  grew  elo- 
quent as  he  pictured  the  aims  and  ideals  of  the  Academy,  urged  immediate 
action  and  again  aroused  considerable  enthusiasm  among  those  present. 
Upon  his  suggestion  the  members  decided  to  hold  weekly,  instead  of  monthly 
meetings.  The  hall  of  the  Ohio  Dental  College  on  College  Street  was  pro- 
cured for  the  meetings.  This  was  in  1860.  Thus  Robert  Mcllvaine  be- 
came for  the  second  time  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine. The  life  history  of  this  talented  and  thoroughly  original  man  should 
be  of  absorbing  interest  to  every  member  of  the  Academy. 

ROBERT  R.  McILVAINE  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1810  and  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  at  Marietta  College.  He  read  medicine  under 
William  Mount  and  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincin- 
nati College  in  1838.  His  early  history,  especially  his  family  connections  and 
circumstances  of  his  early  training,  are  enshrouded  in  mystery.  He  had  no 
intimate  friend  at  any  time  and  remained  a bachelor  all  his  life.  No  one 
seemed  to  know  much  about  Mcllvaine’s  antecedents.  That  he  came  from 
good  family,  seems  certain.  He  was  a cultured  man  of  the  world,  tall,  dig- 
nified and  a stickler  on  form.  He  was  every  inch  a physician  of  the  old 
school,  always  garbed  in  a long  black  coat  which  he  wore  with  stately  grace. 
He  always  wore  a high  hat  and  carried  a gold-headed  cane  which  at  times 
he  would  plant  on  the  floor  or  ground  with  considerable  force  by  way  of 
emphasis.  His  smooth-shaven  face  gave  him  a ministerial  appearance.  His 
manner  of  enunciation  was  in  keeping  with  his  exterior,  slow  and  deliberate 
at  first,  animated  when  he  was  fairly  under  way  and  full  of  fire  and  thrilled 


448 


with  emotion  when  he  was  full  of  his  subject.  He  was  a great  Biblical 
scholar  and  was  always  ready  with  a quotation  from  the  Good  Book.  His 
knowledge  was  all-embracing.  There  seemed  to  be  nothing  Doctor  Mcll- 
vaine  did  not  know,  at  least  well  enough  to  discuss  it  intelligently.  He  had 
an  infallible  memory,  especially  in  connection  with  names  and  dates.  In 
medicine  he  was  a theorist  and  bibliographer.  He  was  a man  of  very  posi- 
tive opinions  and  never  afraid  to  express  them.  He  was  scrupulously  honest 
and  truthful.  His  private  life  was  without  a blemish.  He  hated  the  stage 
and  was  never  seen  in  a theatre.  He  was  passionately  fond  of  French  and 
visited  the  French  capital  every  year  or  two.  He  was  much  esteemed  by 
the  French  physicians,  especially  Claude  Bernard,  whose  pupil  and  intimate 
friend  he  was.  Mcllvaine  loved  the  profession  because  he  believed  in  the 
ideals  of  humanity  that  are  embodied  in  the  perfect  practice  of  medicine.  He 
began  to  practice  in  Cincinnati  in  1840  and  rose  to  a high  rank  of  prom- 
inence. He  was  known  and  beloved  by  every  doctor  in  the  State.  He  was 
an  enthusiast  in  matters  of  medical  organization.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  for  years  the  life  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society,  and  in 
1857  became  the  founder  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine.  In  1860  he  was  a 
member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Summer  School  and  attracted  wide  attention 
by  his  lectures  on  and  demonstrations  in  physiology.  About  1870  he  left 
Cincinnati  and  moved  to  New  York.  There  he  died  in  1881  of  cancer  of 
the  stomach. 

Mcllvaine  had  neither  wife  nor  child  to  whom  he  could  have  left  his 
wealth.  He  had  accummulated  quite  a good  deal  of  money  and  collected  a 
magnificent  scientific  library.  Before  he  left  Cincinnati  he  offered  to  turn 
his  library  over  to  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine  and  a sufficient 
amount  of  money  to  buy  a house  as  a home  for  the  medical  profession  of 
Cincinnati.  He  wanted  his  library  to  be  deposited  in  this  house  as  a nucleus 
for  a large  medical  library.  As  an  evidence  of  good  faith  he  asked  the 
physicians  of  the  city  to  guarantee  a sufficient  sum  of  money  to  meet  the 
expense  of  keeping  up  a place  of  this  kind,  say  $1,000  or  $1,500  a year. 
There  was  no  response  and  Cincinnati  lost  one  of  her  many  chances  to  get  a 
medical  library  and  a home  for  the  profession.  This  was  over  forty  years 
ago.  There  seems  to  be  as  little  local  and  professional  pride  in  the  followers 
of  Daniel  Drake  today  as  there  was  then.  The  Academy  of  Medicine  of 
Cincinnati  has  no  home  of  its  own.  After  an  existence  of  over  fifty  years, 
and  being  the  representative  medical  body  in  Hamilton  County,  it  still  leads  a 
peripatetic  life,  because  there  is  no  patriotism,  such  as  inspired  a Drake,  a 
Mussey,  a Mcllvaine.  The  Mussey  Library  was  lost  through  the  apathy  of 
the  same  men  who  turned  a deaf  ear  to  the  patriotic  offer  of  Robert  R. 
Mcllvaine.  There  are  at  least  four  more  splendid  private  medical  libraries 
that  will  be  likewise  lost  unless  there  is  an  awakening. 

Mcllvaine  was  a thoroughly  original  character.  Many  amusing  stories 
are  told  about  him  that  are  good  enough  to  be  preserved.  His  horse  Bolivar, 

449 


a proud  and  handsome  steed,  was  known  to  everybody.  Few  imagined  that 
the  horse  was  blind.  Yet  such  was  the  case.  One  day  Mcllvaine  had  a 
consultation  with  John  A.  Murphy.  The  two  positive  natures  were  at  once 
up  in  arms  against  each  other  and  the  consultation  terminated  in  a wordy 
war.  After  Mcllvaine  had  left  the  house  and  while  engaged  in  untying  his 
horse,  Dr.  Murphy  approached  and  good-naturedly  said : “Doctor,  I imagine 
that  a man  of  your  standing  and  income  should  have  a horse  that  can  see.” 
Mcllvaine  quietly  remarked : “My  horse  does  very  well.  He  can  see  just 
about  as  much  as  the  average  consultant.”  On  another  occasion  Mcllvaine 

was  present  when  somebody  expressed  surprise  that  Dr.  should  be 

lecturing  on  chemistry  at  Mt.  St.  Mary’s  Seminary,  a Catholic  institution  for 
the  training  of  priests.  “What  use  have  priests  for  chemistry?”  added  the 
speaker.  Mcllvaine,  with  a twinkle  in  his  eye,  remarked : “I  suppose  they 
need  it  to  make  holy  water.”  Mcllvaine  was  called  to  see  a patient  who 
was  not  particularly  cleanly.  The  doctor  was  as  immaculate  as  ever.  He 
stood  at  a distance  of  three  feet  from  the  bed  of  the  patient  and  proceeded 
to  feel  the  pulse  of  the  patient  with  his  cane.  In  response  to  the  patient’s 
query,  he  remarked : “The  end  of  my  cane  is  accustomed  to  being  in  con- 
tact with  mud.”  On  one  occasion  Mcllvaine  got  into  a heated  argument 
over  the  proper  treatment  of  a certain  disease.  He  emphatically  stated  that 
active  cartharsis  was  the  only  proper  treatment.  After  a protracted  and 
very  exciting  argument,  his  antagonist  in  a half  conciliatory,  half  twitting 
manner,  remarked : “After  all,  I do  not  see  any  difference  between  my 
medication  and  yours.”  Mcllvaine  retorted : “One  great  difference  is  that 
mine  fills  out-houses  and  yours  fills  graveyards.” 

Mcllvaine  was  known  as  an  agnostic.  One  day  he  was  present  at  a 
social  gathering  and  heard  some  sarcastic  references  to  “free  thinkers.”  The 
man  who  made  these  remarks  was  a Methodist  bishop,  a haughty  person, 
who  seemed  to  monopolize  everybody’s  attention.  When  the  bishop  finally 
approached  Mcllvaine,  and,  with  an  ironical  twinkle  in  his  eye,  remarked 
that  he  hoped  Mcllvaine  would  not  object  to  shaking  hands  with  him,  the 
doctor  replied,  promptly:  “I  do  not  object  to  shaking  hands  with  a gentle- 
man, even  if  he  is  a Methodist  bishop.” 

This  original  genius  was  the  man  who  conceived  and  founded  the  Cin- 
cinnati Academy  of  Medicine.  Considering  that  the  present  generation  has 
forgotten  the  debt  of  gratitude  which  it  owes  Doctor  Mcllvaine,  it  seems  to 
be  only  too  true  that  the  good  men  do  is  often  buried  with  their  bones. 

After  1860  the  Academy  reflected  the  life  of  the  local  profession.  It 
was  the  meeting-place  of  all  the  physicians  of  the  city  and  surrounding  ter- 
ritory. In  its  meetings  many  a good  battle  was  fought,  many  a victory  won. 
The  sixties  witnessed  the  activity  of  a generation  of  powerful  individualities. 
Men  like  Blackman,  great  even  in  his  frailties;  Bartholow,  eager  to  hunt  out 
men  worthy  of  his  mettle ; Comegys,  cold,  dignified  and  always  a command- 
ing figure;  Parvin,  learned  and  cultured,  and  men  of  this  type  were  the  life 

450 


of  the  Academy.  They  knew  how  to  make  the  floor  of  the  Academy  a battle- 
ground, a training  school  where  they  could  teach  the  young  idea  how  to 
shoot  and  show  the  younger  men  how  to  generate,  not  ruminate,  how  to 
inspire,  but  not  tire  men. 

The  idea  to  divide  the  work  of  the  academy  into  sections,  was  introduced 
in  1868,  when  seven  sections  (1.  practical  medicine,  2.  anatomy  and  surgery, 
3.  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  pediatrics,  4.  materia  medica,  therapeutics  and 
chemistry,  5.  pathology,  general  anatomy,  morbid  anatomy  and  physiology, 
6.  medical  jurisprudence,  7.  hygiene)  were  created.  The  following  year  the 
number  of  sections  was  augmented  to  twenty-five,  as  follows : 1.  epidemics, 
2.  fevers,  3.  diseases  of  the  thorax  and  larynx,  4.  diseases  of  the  mouth, 
pharynx,  esophagus  and  abdomen,  5.  urine  and  diseases  of  the  urinary  or- 
gans, 6.  diseases  of  the  blood,  rheumatism  and  gout,  7.  diseases  of  the  skin, 
8.  diseases  of  the  nervous  system,  9.  psychology,  10.  hygiene,  11.  anatomy,  12. 
surgery,  13.  venereal  diseases,  14.  ophthalmology  and  otology,  15.  materia 
medica  and  therapeutics,  16.  chemistry,  17.  obstetrics,  18.  diseases  of  women, 
19.  diseases  of  children,  20.  pathology  and  morbid  anatomy,  21.  medical 
jurisprudence  and  toxicology,  22.  physiology,  23.  microscopy,  24.  new  rem- 
edies and  pharmacy,  25.  vaccination. 

In  March  1872  the  number  of  sections  was  reduced  to  fourteen,  as  fol- 
lows : 1.  diseases  of  the  skin,  2.  physiology  and  hygiene,  3.  diseases  of  the 
abdomen,  4.  medical  jurisprudence  and  toxicology,  5.  diseases  of  the  nervous 
system,  6.  diseases  of  the  thorax,  7.  prevalent  diseases,  8.  surgery,  9.  obstet- 
rics and  disease  of  women  and  children,  10.  pathology,  morbid  anatomy  and 
microscopy,  11.  venereal  diseases,  12.  zymotic  and  blood  diseases,  13  ophthal- 
mology and  otology,  14.  materia  medica  and  new  remedies.  After  a few 
years  the  sections  were  altogether  abolished. 

In  1869  the  Academy  became  a corporation  under  the  laws  of  Ohio  and 
R.  R.  Mcllvaine,  J.  J.  Quinn  and  J.  P.  Walker  were  named  as  trustees. 

Among  the  papers  presented  to  the  academy  during  its  fifty  years  of  ex- 
istence have  been  many  valuable  contributions  to  medical  knowledge.  Most 
of  them  can  be  found  in  the  files  of  the  ‘‘Lancet  and  Observer,”  the  “Lancet 
and  Clinic”  and  the  “Lancet-Clinic.”  A noteworthy  event  of  the  year  1872 
was  the  visit  of  the  famous  French  physiologist  Brown-Sequard,  who  had 
come  to  this  country  to  satisfy  the  laudable  ambition  of  claiming  an  Amer- 
ican bride,  Miss  Carlisle,  of  Kentucky.  On  March  9,  1872  he  spoke  before 
the  Academy  on  “Experiments  in  Epilepsy.”  On  March  28,  1872,  he  lectured 
in  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  on  “Mode  of  Origin  and  Treatment  of  Nervous 
Diseases.” 

The  year  1874  was  a turning-point  in  the  history  of  the  Academy.  A 
trifling  occurrence  led  to  an  upheaval  of  a most  serious  nature,  resulting  in 
the  secession  of  about  twenty  of  the  most  active  members  and  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society,  the  fourth  of  this  name.  The  cause 
of  the  secession  was  the  following : 


451 


Patrick  F.  Maley,  coroner  of  Hamilton  County,  and  member  of  the 
Academy,  had  caused  the  arrest  of  a local  physician  on  the  charge  of  abor- 
tion brought  by  a woman  who  was  a thoroughly  disreputable  character. 
There  was  no  justification  in  Maley ’s  action  because  there  was  not  even  pre- 
sumptive evidence  of  guilt.  The  circumstances  surrounding  the  case  made 
Maley’s  action  appear  in  a very  unfavorable  light.  Indignation  among  the 
members  of  the  Academy  was  intense  and  general.  Wm.  H.  Mussey  urged 
expulsion  of  Maley.  The  Committee  on  Ethics,  through  its  chairman,  A.  C. 
Kemper,  recommended  censure  and  suspension  for  six  months.  During  the 
animated  discussion  which  followed,  Thad.  A.  Reamy  stated  that  he  did  not 
favor  persecution  of  an  innocent  man,  meaning  the  physician  accused,  but 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  see  injustice  done  to  a public  official  who  was  trying 
to  do  his  duty.  Reamy  added  that  abortion  was  being  practiced  by  some 
physicians  and  ‘'that  there  are  men  even  in  the  Academy  of  Medicine  whose 
hands  are  stained  with  the  blood  of  the  innocents !”  This  dramatic  declara- 
tion led  to  no  end  of  confusion.  A bitter  protest  against  Reamy’s  words, 
signed  by  over  a hundred  local  physicians,  appeared  in  the  public  prints.  A 
faction  in  the  Academy  headed  by  Wm.  H.  Mussey,  demanded  Reamy’s  ex- 
pulsion. Others  rushed  to  his  rescue  and  a veritable  interregnum  followed, 
during  which  there  was  no  end  of  committee  meetings,  reports,  counter- 
reports, resignations  and  other  evidences  of  disturbed  mental  equilibrium 
on  the  part  of  everybody  concerned.  Reamy  was  finally  exonerated,  but  the 
sting  of  the  deplorable  occurrence  was  not  removed.  During  the  whole 
affair  the  bitter  feeling  existing  between  the  Miami  and  Ohio  faculties  was 
clearly  to  be  noticed.  The  trouble  was  eventually  narrowed  down  to  the 
antagonism  between  the  two  factions.  The  Miami  contingent  withdrew  and 
organized  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society.  The  most  unfortunate  feature  of 
the  occurrence  was  the  vast  publicity  which  the  daily  papers  gave  to  the 
matter.  After  nineteen  years  (1893)  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  returned 
to  its  own  and  was  reabsorbed  by  the  parent  society. 

The  meeting-places  of  the  Academy  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  were 
College  Hall  on  Walnut  Street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth,  since  1871, 
Bacon’s  Building,  since  1873,  Dental  College  since  1874  Lancet  Hall  since 
1882,  Lincoln  Hall  since  1894,  Odd  Fellow’s  Assembly  Hall  since  1895,  Cin- 
cinnati Literary  Club  Rooms  since  1896.  In  1871  the  Academy  gave  its  sur- 
plus to  the  Chicago  Relief  Fund  to  be  applied  in  the  relief  of  suffering  mem  - 
bers of  the  profession. 

The  presiding  officers  and  recording  secretaries  since  1858  have  been  : 


YEAR.  PRESIDENT.  SECRETARY. 

1858  E.  B.  Stevens.  A.  M.  Johnson. 

1859  J.  F.  White.  J.  A.  Thacker. 

1860  J.  F.  White.  W.  H.  McReynolds. 

1861  J.  F.  White.  C.  T.  Simpson. 

1862  R.  R.  Mcllvaine.  W.  T.  Brown. 

1863  R.  R.  Mcllvaine.  W.  T.  Brown. 

452 


YEAR.  PRESIDENT.  SECRETARY. 

1864  S.  O.  Almy.  C.  P.  Wilson. 

1865  R.  R.  Mcllvaine.  C.  P.  Wilson. 

1866  Thos.  Carroll.  M.  B.  Graff. 

1867  J.  L.  Vattier.  G.  S.  Courtwright. 

1868  John  Davis.  J.  L.  Neilson. 

1869  W.  W.  Dawson.  W.  A.  Wilson. 

1870  Wm.  Carson.  J.  T.  Whittaker, 

1871  C.  G.  Comegys.  J.  W.  Hadlock. 

1872  James  Graham.  Lyman  Welfe. 

1873  J.  H.  Tate.  J.  W.  Hadlock. 

1874  W,  B.  Wright.  G.  B.  Orr. 

1875  D.  H.  Jessup.  J.  G.  Hyndman. 

1876  C.  S.  Muscroft.  J.  G.  Hyndman. 

1877  P.  S.  Conner,  A.  G.  Drury. 

1878  J.  H.  Buckner,  E.  G.  Zinke. 

1879  G.  E.  Walton.  F.  Kebler. 

1880  A.  G.  Drury.  W.  H.  Wenning. 

1881  T.  A.  Reamy.  W.  H.  Wenning. 

1882  J.  L.  Cleveland.  W.  H.  Wenning. 

1883  W.  W.  Seeley.  W.  H.  Wenning. 

1884  W.  H.  Wenning.  G.  A.  Fackler. 

1885  S.  Nickles.  G.  A.  Fackler. 

1886  J.  T.  Whittaker.  G.  A.  Fackler. 

1887  J.  Ransohoff.  G.  A.  Fackler. 

1888  C.  D.  Palmer.  G.  A.  Fackler. 

1889  Wm.  Judkins.  G.  A.  Fackler. 

1890  C.  D.  Palmer.  J.  M.  French. 

1891  G.  S.  Mitchell.  J.  M.  French. 

1892  G.  A.  Fackler.  T.  V.  Fitzpatrick. 

1893  C.  G.  Comegys.  D.  DeBeck. 

1894  E.  G.  Zinke.  D.  DeBeck. 

1895  S.  C.  Ayers.  W,  E.  Schenck. 

1896  Jos.  Eichberg.  W.  E.  Schenck. 

1897  W.  E.  Kiely.  W.  E.  Schenck. 

1898  Louis  Schwab.  W.  H.  Crane. 

1899  E.  W.  Mitchell.  Robert  Ingram. 

1900  Chas.  L.  Bonifield.  Stephen  E.  Cone. 

1901  N.  P.  Dandridge.  Stephen  E.  Cone. 

1902  A.  B.  Isham.  Stephen  E.  Cone. 

1903  Byron  Stanton.  Stephen  E.  Cone. 

1904  S.  P.  Kramer.  Julia  W.  Carpenter. 

1905  M.  A.  Tate.  Stephen  E.  Cone. 

1906  John  E.  Greiwe.  Stephen  E.  Cone. 

1907  F.  W.  Langdon.  Mary  K.  Isham. 

1908  Wm.  Gillespie.  E.  O.  Smith, 

1909  R.  B.  Hall.  E.  O.  Smith. 

The  membership  of  the  Academy  (1908)  comprises  about  one-half  of  the 
physicians  of  Hamilton  County.  The  average  attendance  at  meetings  is 
about  15  per  cent  of  its  membership.  The  Academy  is  a county  society,  and, 
as  such,  a part  of  the  State  and  national  associations.  The  renaissance  of 


453 


medical  life  which  may  follow  the  inauguration  of  a new  medical  department 
in  the  University  of  Cincinnati  should  favorably  react  on  the  Academy  and 
give  it  the  two  things  it  must  possess  in  the  fulfillment  of  its  great  edu- 
cational and  professional  mission,  to-wit : a numerically  truly  representative 
membership  and  a home  of  its  own, — a consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished. 

THE  CINCINNATI  MEDICAL  JOURNAL  AND  LIBRARY  CLUB 
was  started  in  1869  and  vegetated  for  two  or  three  years.  H.  E.  Foote  was 
the  first  president.  He  was  followed  by  W.  T.  Brown.  E.  B.  Stevens  was 
the  secretary.  There  is  no  record  of  this  club  after  1871.  Its  purpose  was 
to  circulate  journals  and  books  among  its  members. 

THE  CINCINNATI  MEDICAL  SOCIETY  (the  fourth  of  this  name) 
was  organized  October  9,  1874  at  the  office  of  Wm.  H.  Taylor.  The  charter- 
members  were  John  Davis,  John  A.  Murphy,  J.  C.  Culbertson,  Wm.  H. 
Taylor,  Thomas  H.  Kearney,  N.  P.  Dandridge,  J.  C.  Mackenzie,  Wm.  B. 
Davis,  Ephraim  M.  Epstein,  Byron  Stanton,  J.  C.  Walker,  F.  B running,  G. 
Holdt,  C.  P.  Judkins,  Wm.  H.  Mussey,  A.  C.  Kemper,  C.  G.  Comegys,  W.  T. 
Brown,  T.  C.  Minor  and  Wm.  Carson. 

A permanent  organization  was  effected  by  the  election  of  the  following 
officers:  A.  C.  Kemper,  president;  J.  P.  Walker  and  Wm.  H.  Taylor,  vice- 
presidents;  Byron  Stanton,  recording  secretary;  J.  C.  Mackenzie,  correspond- 
ing secretary;  W.  T.  Brown,  treasurer;  Wm.  Carson,  censor;  Georg  Holdt 
and  Wm.  B.  Davis,  trustees.  The  meeting-place  of  the  society  was  the  room 
of  the  Bar  Association.  Later  on  the  society  met  in  Schmidt’s  Hall,  Seventh 
and  Race,  and  in  Lancet  Hall. 

The  meetings  were  well  attended  and  offered  a wealth  of  interesting  and 
instructive  material  professionally  and  scientifically.  At  the  first  regular 
meeting  a veritable  embarras  de  richesse  characterized  the  proceedings.  Wm. 
H.  Taylor  reported  a case  of  “Ovarian  Tumor  with  Intercurrent  Pregnancy” 
which  elicited  a lively  discussion.  Georg  Holdt  reported  a case  of  scarlet 
fever  occurring  in  a patient  who  had  suffered  a similar  attack  eighteen 
months  previously.  During  the  spirited  debate  following,  C.  P.  Judkins  gave 
the  history  of  a patient  who  had  experienced  four  distinct  attacks  of  variola. 
The  discussion  following  was  participated  in  by  nearly  every  member  present. 
The  epidemic  of  scarlet  fever  which  was  rampant  in  the  city  at  that  time, 
was  discussed  and  many  divergent  views  expressed,  especially  in  regard  to 
the  prophyllaxis.  Ephraim  M.  Epstein  reported  a case  of  uremic  convul- 
sions which  he  successfully  treated  by  the  application  of  leeches  to  the  temples 
and  by  turpentine  enemata.  The  tone  of  the  reports  presented  and  of  the 
discussions  was  vigorous  and  scientific.  That  the  society  was  not  unmindful 
of  its  duties  toward  the  public,  appears  from  the  records  of  the  second 
regular  meeting  in  which  the  question  of  hygiene  in  the  schools  was  taken 
up  and  discussed  in  a practical  manner.  The  personal  hygiene  of  the  child 


454 


during  the  hours  of  instruction,  the  physiological  principles  involved,  the 
necessity  of  a recess  and  many  other  phases  of  the  subject  came  in  for  con- 
sideration. One  of  the  best  speakers  and  clearest  debaters  was  C.  G. 
Comegys,  whose  dignified  and  scholarly  manner  of  treating  a subject  was 
quite  a feature  of  these  meetings.  His  antipode  temperamentally  was  John  A. 
Murphy,  who  never  failed  to  inject  animation  into  the  members  and  not  infre- 
quently stirred  up  a heated  argument  and  a friendly  row. 

The  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  added  much  tone  and  vigor  to  the  med- 
ical life  of  the  city.  Its  weekly  meetings  were  well  attended  by  the  best 
class  of  physicians.  The  personnel  of  its  members  indicates  the  close  asso- 
ciation of  the  society  with  the  Miami  Medical  College  and  its  interests.  The 
members  of  the  Miami  faculty  were  the  active  workers  in  the  society.  With 
the  exception  of  Drs.  Epstein,  Walker,  B running  and  Kemper  all  the  charter 
members  are  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

Ephraim  M.  Epstein  was  an  interesting  character  and  enjoyed 
quite  a large  practice.  He  came  from  Austria  and  had  seen  much  of  the 
world  as  a surgeon  on  a man-of-war.  After  a romantic  career  he  finally  set- 
tled down  in  Cincinnati  and  practiced  medicine.  He  was  a phenomenal  lin- 
guist, a Biblical  scholar  of  vast  reputation  and  a well-informed  connoisseur 
of  medical  literature.  He  is  (1909)  one  of  the  editors  of  the  American 
Journal  of  Clinical  Medicine  (Chicago).  He  is  over  eighty  years  old,  but  as 
active  and  vigorous  in  his  cerebration  as  ever. 

J.  P.  Walker,  whose  name  is  closely  identified  with  medical  organiza- 
tions in  Cincinnati,  was  born  in  Wilton,  Me.,  in  1820,  studied  medicine  at 
Dartmouth,  graduated  in  1846,  located  in  Cincinnati  in  1848  and  practiced 
here  for  about  forty  years.  Erank  Brunning  was  born  in  1845  and  gradu- 
ated from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1867.  He  has  been  in  continuous 
practice  in  Cincinnati  since  that  time.  A.  C.  Kemper  was  a descendant  of 
a family  whose  record  is  closely  interwoven  with  the  early  history  of  Cin- 
cinnati, especially  through  Rev.  James  Kemper,  who  came  to  Cincinnati  in 
1790,  and  Edward  Y.  Kemper,  who  studied  medicine  under  Drake  before 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  was  founded. 

Records  of  the  meetings  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  can  be  found 
in  the  files  of  the  '‘Lancet  and  Clinic.”  The  presiding  officers  and  recording 
secretaries  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  were  the  following: 

1874 —  And.  C.  Kemper  and  Byron  Stanton. 

1875 —  C.  G.  Comegys  and  Byron  Stanton. 

1876 —  John  A.  Murphy  and  Philip  Zenner. 

1877 —  Wm.  B.  Davis  and  Philip  Zenner. 

1878 —  Wm.  Carson  and  R.  B.  Davy. 

1879 —  Wm.  H.  Taylor  and  Wm.  Judkins. 

1880 —  M.  T.  Brown  and  L.  C.  Carr. 

1831 — Gustav  Bruehl  and  W.  H.  McReynolds. 

1882 — B.  P.  Goode  and  W.  H.  McReynolds. 


455 


1883 —  Byron  Stanton  and  W.  H.  McReynolds. 

1884 —  W.  H.  McReynolds  and  J.  L.  Davis. 

1885 —  N.  P.  Dandridge  and  F.  O.  Marsh. 

1886 —  R.  B.  Davy  and  F.  O.  Marsh. 

1887 —  C.  P.  Judkins  and  C.  R.  Holmes. 

1888 —  Joseph  Eichberg  and  E.  S.  Stevens. 

1889 —  C.  R.  Holmes  and  E.  S.  Stevens. 

1890 —  Max  Thorner  and  Leroy  S.  Colter. 

1891 —  F.  W.  Langdon  and  Leroy  S.  Colter. 

1892 —  E.  S.  Stevens  and  Leroy  S.  Colter. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  March,  1893,  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society  ad- 
journed sine  die  and  was  merged  into  the  Academy  of  Medicine. 

THE  OBSTETRICAL  SOCIETY  OF  CINCINNATI  was  organized  in 
1876,  the  original  members  being  J.  J.  Quinn,  J.  W.  Underhill,  C.  O.  Wright, 
J.  L.  Cleveland,  A.  L.  Carrick,  W.  T.  Brown,  A.  J.  Miles,  J.  C.  McMechan, 
J.  Trush,  C.  D.  Palmer  and  T.  A.  Reamy.  The  first  president  was  J.  J. 
Quinn,  a very  capable  practitioner,  who  made  a splendid  record  as  health 
officer  of  Cincinnati,  and,  as  a trustee  of  the  hospital,  tried  to  protect  the 
professional  interests  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  against  the  politicians  who 
have  been  the  bane  of  this  unfortunate  institution.  He  died  at  Fayetteville, 
Ohio,  in  1891,  sixty-four  years  old.  The  first  secretary  was  J.  W.  Under- 
hill, one  of  the  most  brilliant  medical  men  in  Cincinnati  in  his  day.  The 
membership  of  the  Obstetrical  Society  of  Cincinnati  is  limited  to  thirty.  Any 
physician  who  has  been  in  active  practice  in  or  near  the  city  for  at  least  five 
years,  can  apply  for  membership.  He  must  present  a thesis  or  paper,  which 
is  passed  upon  by  the  Council  and  read  before  the  members,  who  then  vote 
upon  the  applicant.  The  meetings  are  held  once  a month  at  the  homes  of 
different  members,  and  are  of  great  social  as  well  as  scientific  value.  The 
work  of  the  society  pertains  to  the  elaboration  and  discussion  of  problems  in 
obstetrics,  but  more  especially  in  gynecology.  For  several  years  the  society 
published  its  own  transactions,  but  for  some  time  past  they  have  appeared  in 
the  “Lancet-Clinic.” 


456 


CHAPTER  XXL 


MEDICAL  AUTHORS  AND  JOURNALISTS. 


Of  all  those  arts  in  which  the  wise  excel, 

Nature’s  chief  masterpiece  is  writing  well! 

—SheMeld. 

The  birth-year  of  Cincinnati,  1788,  was  also  the  birth-year  of  medical 
literature  in  this  country.  In  1788  the  first  pretentious  medical  work 
penned  by  an  American  and  printed  and  published  on  American  soil 
made  its  appearance.  The  title  of  the  work  was  “Medical  Inquiries  and  Ob- 
servations.” The  author  was  Benjamin  Rush,  misunderstood  and  vilified  by 
his  contemporaries,  revered  by  posterity  as  no  other  medical  man  in  this 
country.  It  is  true,  there  had  been  meritorious  papers  and  brochures  on 
medical  subjects  written  and  published  in  this  country  prior  to  1788,  e.  g., 
a little  volume  on  “Wounds  and  Fractures,”  in  1775,  by  John  Jones,  the 
physician  of  Washington  and  Franklin.  Numerous  papers  on  infectious 
diseases  had  appeared  even  long  before  the  Revolutionary  War.  These  pro- 
ductions, however,  made  no  impression  because  they  were  largely  a repeti- 
tion of  what  European  authors  had  written  and  also  because  there  was  in 
those  pioneer  days  no  distinctly  American  medicine.  There  were  no  schools, 
no  journals  and  no  American  physicians.  Europe  supplied  the  new  world 
with  doctors,  with  books  and  journals.  These  conditions  were  undergoing  a 
change  about  the  time  when  Benjamin  Rush  issued  his  “Medical  Inquiries 
and  Observations.”  They  produced  a tremendous  impression.  Friend  and 
foe  realized  that  a leader  had  arisen.  When  Rush  died  (1813),  no  American 
book  on  practice  had  as  yet  made  its  appearance.  Caspar  Wistar  was  the 
first  American  author  of  a work  on  anatomy  (1811).  The  first  American 
work  on  surgery,  Dorsey’s  “Elements  of  Surgery,”  appeared  in  1813.  All 
these  men  were  professors  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Nathaniel 
Chapman’s  work  on  materia  medica  was  published  in  1817,  and  is  ordinarily 
considered  the  first  American  book  of  its  kind.  In  reality,  the  first  Amer- 
ican book  on  materia  medica  was  a small  volume  by  Benjamin  Smith  Barton, 
entitled  “Collection  for  an  Essay  Towards  a Materia  Medica  of  the  United 
States.”  It  dealt  with  botany  rather  than  materia  medica.  It  appeared  in 
1797  in  Philadelphia.  The  first  Western  work  on  materia  medica  appeared 
in  Cincinnati  in  1812,  antedating  C.  S.  Rafinesque’s  pioneer  work  on  the 
“Medical  Flora  of  the  American  Continent”  (Philadelphia,  1828).  The 
author  of  the  Cincinnati  publication  was  Peter  Smith,  Princeton  graduate, 


457 


preacher,  farmer,  Indian  doctor  who  as  early  as  1794  had  settled  on  Duck 
Creek,  near  the  Columbia  Baptist  Church  (founded  1790  and  since  1904 
known  as  the  Hyde  Park  Baptist  Church)  on  the  outskirts  of  the  present 
town  of  Norwood.  Peter  Smith  was  the  first  medical  author  in  the  West. 
Daniel  Drake’s  ‘‘Notices  Concerning  Cincinnati”  appeared  in  1810,  the  first 
book  published  in  Cincinnati.  It  was,  however,  not  a medical  book.  Two 
years  later  Peter  Smith’s  book  appeared.  He,  therefore,  is  the  pioneer  of 
medical  literature  in  Cincinnati,  and,  for  that  matter,  in  the  West. 

Peter  Smith  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Hezekiah  Smith  and  was  born  in  Wales, 
in  1753.  At  an  early  age  he  came  to  this  country  and  received  his  education 
at  Princeton.  He  was  a botanist  and  took  great  interest  in  the  herbs  and 
roots  used  by  the  Indians  for  medicinal  purposes.  He  had  a good  knowl- 
edge of  anatomy  and  physiology  and  was  familiar  with  the  ordinary  prac- 
tises of  the  physicians  of  those  days.  In  1780  he  left  New  Jersey  with  his 
wife  and  three  or  four  small  children.  He  went  first  to  Virginia,  then  to  the 
Carolinas  and  finally  made  an  attempt  to  settle  down  in  Georgia.  On  his 
wanderings  he  preached  the  gospel  and  healed  the  sick.  Being  a strong 
abolitionist,  even  in  those  early  days,  he  decided  to  leave  Georgia  “with  its 
scorpions  and  slaves.”  With  his  wife  mounted  on  a strong  horse  and  baskets 
containing  the  small  children,  twin  babies  among  them,  suspended  from  the 
saddle  on  both  sides,  he  started  out,  wending  his  way  through  the  woods  and 
over  the  rivers  and  creeks  of  a wild  country  towards  Kentucky.  Again  he 
attempted  to  settle  down.  He  did  not  remain  long.  In  order  to  get  away 
“from  the  head-ticks  and  slavery  of  Kentucky,”  he  crossed  the  Ohio  River 
and  found  a home  on  Duck  Greek,  as  stated  above.  Here  he  farmed, 
preached,  doctored  and  raised  more  children.  In  1804  he  again  started  out 
with  wife  and  family,  consisting  of  twelve  children,  and  after  a wearisome 
journey  settled  on  Donnel’s  Creek,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1816.  He  is 
buried  in  a neglected  graveyard  near  Donnelsville,  Clark  County,  Ohio.  It 
seems  that  the  profession  in  that  part  of  the  State  should  take  an  interest  in 
and  preserve  the  burial  place  of  this  quaint  and  picturesque  character,  the 
first  medical  writer  in  the  West.  The  story  of  Peter  Smith,  as  given  above, 
is  quoted  from  an  account  given  by  John  Uri  Lloyd.  The  latter  had  for 
years  been  on  the  lookout  for  a copy  of  Peter  Smith’s  book.  One  day  in 
1897,  Gen.  J.  Warren  Keifer,  of  Ohio,  in  speaking  of  old  books,  chanced 
to  mention  Peter  Smith’s  Dispensatory,  of  which  he  possessed  a copy. 
Professor  Lloyd  eventually  became  the  happy  possessor  of  this  rare  book  and 
placed  it  in  the  Lloyd  Library.  General  Keifer’s  mother  was  one  of  Peter 
Smith’s  daughters. 

Peter  Smith  was  progressive  in  medicine.  He  gathered  up  what  he 
could  in  the  way  of  medical  books  and  never  wearied  of  interrogating  doc- 
tors in  regard  to  their  methods  of  practice.  In  1811  he  went  to  Philadel- 
phia for  the  express  purpose  of  studying  the  effects  of  heat  and  cold  on 
the  human  system.  The  title  of  his  book  is  “The  Indian  Doctor’s  Dispen- 


458 


satory,  being  Father  Smith’s  advice  respecting  diseases  and  their  cure.  By 
Peter  Smith,  of  the  Miami  Country.  Printed  by  Brown  and  Looker.  Cin- 
cinnati, 1812.”  In  the  preface  the  author  states  that  he  proposes  to  charge  $1 
for  the  book,  because  he  feels  that  the  book  is  worth  it.  If  any  one  object 
to  the  price,  he  need  not  buy  the  book.  In  Chapter  I.  Smith  discusses  prin- 
ciples of  physiology,  in  Chapters  II.  and  III.  he  dilates  on  his  notions  about 
pathology.  In  the  subsequent  chapters  he  gives  the  medicinal  agents,  their 
botanical  characteristics  and  therapeutic  uses.  In  the  last  part  of  the  book 
diseases  and  their  treatment  are  discussed.  The  contents  of  the  book  bear 
witness  to  his  knowledge  of  botany  and  to  his  vast  experience  in  practical 
medicine.  In  referring  to  the  cause  of  “bilious  and  contagious  complaints” 
he  mentions  the  probability  of  their  being  caused  by  invisible  insects.  Bac- 
teriologists will  hereafter  have  to  number  Peter  Smith  among  the  early  pio- 
neers of  their  science.  Smith’s  notions  about  hydro-therapy  will  stand 
criticism.  That  he  includes  some  of  the  therapeutic  agents  of  medieval 
times  is  not  surprising.  Dead  toads  are  applied  to  wens  and  droughts  of 
urine  are  recommended  for  certain  purposes.  For  toothache  he  quotes  the 
following  from  an  old  book : 

“All  the  finger  and  toenails  are  to  be  trimmed,  the  pieces  of  each  are  to  be  laid  on  a 
rag  or  paper;  to  which  is  to  be  laid  a lock  of  hair  taken  from  the  head;  then  the  gum 
of  the  tooth  is  to  be  gouged  or  pierced,  to  add  some  blood  to  the  nails  and  hair;  then 
the  whole  is  to  be  wrapped  together  in  the  bank  of  some  creek  or  gulley,  at  a place 
where  no  creature  crosses.  The  operator  may  keep  the  putting  away  to  himself,  if 
he  pleases.” 

As  a preservative  for  the  teeth  urine  is  recommended  as  a mouth-wash. 
Abstracting  from  a few  absurdities  like  the  preceding,  the  book  of  Peter 
Smith  is  a remarkable  production.  The  information  contained  therein  is 
copious  and  valuable,  the  style  is  terse  and  forcible.  In  regard  to  hygiene, 
especially  in  connection  with  the  importance  of  light  and  air,  Smith  was 
much  ahead  of  his  time.  It  is  doubtful  whether  more  than  two  copies  of 
Peter  Smith’s  Dispensary  are  in  existence.  John  Uri  Lloyd,  appreciating 
the  great  historical  interest  which  attaches  to  this  curious  book,  has  had 
the  latter  reproduced  (Bulletin  of  the  Lloyd  Library  of  Botany,  Pharmacy 
and  Materia  Medica,  No.  2.  Second  Series.  1901).  No  student  of  med- 
ical history  should  fail  to  peruse  this  quaint  and  characteristic  book. 

That  the  character  of  the  profession  in  any  section  of  the  country  may 
be  judged  by  the  character  of  its  writers  is  generally  admitted.  One  is  de- 
pendent on  the  other,  and  neither  can  be  separated  from  the  other.  Ab- 
stracting from  much  inferior  and  mediocre  material  that  Cincinnati,  like 
other  medical  centers,  has  contributed  to  the  literature  of  the  profession,  there 
are  among  the  literary  products  of  Drake  and  his  Followers,  some  of  the 
best  that  this  country  can  boast  of.  Our  list  of  great  works  is  not  long,  but 
it  is  strong.  It  makes  up  in  quality  what  it  lacks  in  bulk. 


459 


Our  medical  literature  consists  of  four  different  kinds  of  literary  prod- 
ucts: First,  the  inaugural  theses  of  the  applicants  for  the  medical  degree; 
second,  the  papers  read  by  members  of  the  profession  before  medical  so- 
cieties and  usually  reproduced  in  the  medical  journals;  third,  papers  and 
treatises  of  more  pretentious  size  and  purpose,  such  as  monographs  and  in- 
troductory lectures,  and  lastly,  books  on  medicine  or  on  any  special  topic  in  some 
department  of  medicine. 

1.  The  inaugural  theses  of  the  graduates  were  at  one  time  quite  a feature 
of  commencement  time.  Most  of  them  were  read  and  immediately  con- 
signed to  well-merited  oblivion.  That  they  served  any  good  purpose,  is 
more  than  doubtful,  according  to  Gross.  In  most  instances  “the  thesis  was  a 
more  or  less  well-prepared  hash,  consisting  of  the  opinions  and  views  ex- 
pressed by  the  teacher  or  gleaned  from  some  book  or  journal.  Most  of  the 
graduates  of  those  days  were  not  endowed  with  even  a modest  degree  of 
literary  ability.  Their  preliminary  education  was  usually  fragmentary,  al- 
though a compensatory  amount  of  common  sense  was  not  infrequent.  As 
additions  to  medical  literature  most  of  these  theses  could  hardly  be  taken 
seriously.”  Once  in  a great  while  a thesis  of  value  was  presented,  e.  g.,  John 
S.  Billings’  on  “Epilepsy.”  Nowadays  theses  are  no  longer  required.  In 
one  sense  this  is  to  be  regretted.  The  preparation  of  a thesis  required  an 
individual  effort  which  involved  a salutary  mental  stimulation.  Many  a 
young  talent  was  thus  aroused  and  made  to  feel  its  strength.  With  higher 
requirements  of  general  and  medical  education,  the  inaugural  thesis  should 
be  revived.  It  would  not  be  a bad  idea  to  require  a thesis  in  Latin  or  in 
any  language  other  than  English,  of  every  applicant  for  the  degree.  In 
the  early  Eastern  schools  Latin  theses  were  required.  Why  should 
the  medical  graduate  of  today  be  beneath  the  educational  level  of  125  years 
ago?  Charles  Caldwell  published  two  volumes  of  American  theses,  mostly 
written  by  the  earlier  graduates  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  But 
few  of  the  theses  of  the  Western  graduates  have  been  preserved.  Some  of 
them  were  printed  in  the  journals  of  those  days. 

2.  The  papers  read  by  members  of  the  profession  before  medical  so- 
cieties and  published  in  the  transactions  of  the  latter,  or  in  the  current  jour- 
nals, are  of  as  much  interest  to  us,  as  they  were  of  importance  to  the  times 
gone  by.  That  this  kind  of  medical  literature  was,  taking  it  as  a whole, 
superior  to  the  similar  productions  of  today,  can  not  be  doubted.  The  early 
physicians  had  no  books  or  journals  from  which  compilations  could  be  made. 
Everybody  possessed  the  same  books  or  journals.  Whatever  was  written,  was 
the  product  of  original  observation,  experience  and  research.  Only  few 
men  wrote.  The  result  was  that  this  kind  of  medical  literature  was  of  a 
high  order  of  merit.  The  files  of  Drake’s  Journal  are  replete  with  excellent 
contributions.  All  of  the  writers  were  keen  observers  and  original  inves- 
tigators, some  of  them  were  masters  of  style  and  diction.  John  L.  Rich- 
mond’s quaint  and  modest  report  of  the  first  Casarean  section,  referred  to 


460 


elsewhere,  bears  the  impress  of  genius.  It  is  simple  and  yet  monumental, 
like  Lincoln’s  Gettysburg  speech.  Drake’s  own  contributions,  like  every- 
thing this  wonderful  man  did,  were  classical.  Papers  by  Mitchell,  Staughton, 
Alban  Goldsmith  and  other  professors  can  be  profitably  read  today.  J.  C. 
Cross’  papers  are  among  the  best  of  their  kind.  There  are  few  men  today 
who  can  write  like  Cross.  After  1840  the  quality  of  the  current  literature 
began  to  depreciate.  The  “Western  Lancet”  was  a fair  exponent  of  local 
medical  journalism,  but  weak  compared  to  its  truly  titanic  predecessors, 
Drake’s  Journal,  or  to  the  “Western  Medical  Gazette.”  In  the  fifties  many 
excellent  papers  appeared  in  the  “Western  Lancet,”  the  authors  being  mostly 
the  members  of  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society.  After  1857  and  continuing 
through  the  sixties  medical  journalism  in  Cincinnati  was  full  of  vigor  and 
individuality.  While  Lawson,  Murphy  and  Mendenhall  were  indifferent 
editorial  writers,  Blackman  and  Bartholow  were  strong  and  full  of  tempera- 
ment. From  1870  to  1890  John  A.  Thacker  in  the  “Medical  News,”  Thomas 
C.  Minor  in  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic,”  and  E.  B.  Stevens  in  the  “Obstetrical 
Gazette”  were  the  best  exponents  of  medical  journalism  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  Compared  to  the  work  of  these  men,  the  journalistic  efforts  of 
J.  T.  Whittaker  and  J.  C.  Culbertson  appear  weak.  Whittaker’s  best  jour- 
nalistic work  in  the  “Clinic”  was  in  the  reviewing  of  current  literature.  As 
an  editorial  writer  he  was  diffuse  and  given  to  the  elaboration  of  unimportant 
details.  He  lacked  system  which  was  so  characteristic  of  the  work  done  by 
J.  M.  French  in  the  “Ohio  Medical  Journal.”  As  a medical  journal  of 
strength  and  character  Drake’s  “Western  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences” 
has  never  been  surpassed.  The  only  local  journal  during  the  last  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  that  can  be  compared  with  it,  is  Thacker’s  “Medical 
News.”  Both  Drake  and  Thacker  aimed  to  mould  professional  thought  and 
opinion,  not  merely  to  reflect  them.  Both  were  fearless  and  capable  men 
who  could  neither  be  driven  nor  intimidated.  Blackman  would  have  been  a 
splendid  medical  editor  if  he  had  cared  to  cultivate  journalism  to  any  great 
extent.  The  curse  of  medical  journalism  has  been  and  is  the  strong  utilita- 
rianism of  its  exponents  who  were  and  are  often  controlled  by  cliques  and 
sectional  interests  and  lack  individuality.  The  scientific  work  represented 
by  the  journals  named  should  be  a source  of  pride  to  the  present  generation. 
The  “Western  Lancet”  and  its  successors  up  to  the  present  day  have  printed  a 
vast  amount  of  medical  literature  of  great  value.  Excellent  work  was  done 
in  the  fifties  and  continued  for  fully  forty  years.  It  seems  that  the  climax 
of  quality  was  reached  about  1875.  Since  then  there  has  been  a gradual 
decadence.  During  the  fifties  and  sixties  the  “Eclectic  Medical  Journal” 
under  Newton  and  Scudder  evinced  considerable  strength  and  individuality. 

3.  Medical  papers  of  some  length  or  on  some  special  subject,  mono- 
graphs, introductory  or  valedictory  lectures  represent  an  interesting  and 
valuable  species  of  literary  work.  Many  of  these  products  have  been  pre- 
served and  are  worthy  of  careful  perusal.  Abstracting  from  Drake,  who 

461 


was  a master  of  this  kind  of  writing,  M.  B,  Wright  deserves  to  be  mentioned 
as  its  foremost  exponent.  Many  of  his  discourses  before  the  classes  are  still 
extant.  Excellent  work  along  these  lines  was  done  by  J.  P.  Harrison,  Roberts 
Bartholow,  C.  G.  Comegys  and  J.  T.  Whittaker.  The  formal  Introductory 
at  the  beginning  of  a session  is  not  en  vogue  as  it  once  was.  The  professors 
are  in  the  habit  of  jumping  in  medias  res  without  attempting  to  surround 
the  beginning  of  a session  with  the  glamor  of  sentiment  and  oratory.  This 
is  a mistake.  A formal  ‘Tntroductory”  was  like  an  appetizer  before  a meal. 
The  history  of  medicine,  general  or  local,  the  ideals  of  medicine  with  ref- 
erence to  its  work  on  behalf  of  knowledge  and  humanity,  present  many  phases 
to  interest  the  student  and  arouse  sentiment  and  enthusiasm.  In  former 
times  these  Introductories  were  made  the  occasions  of  felicitation  and  dem- 
onstrations of  good  will.  The  class  would  have  the  address  printed  as  a 
compliment  to  the  speaker  and  as  a souvenir  of  a happy  occasion.  These 
customs  of  the  olden  times  were  beautiful  and  should  be  revived. 

4.  The  most  pretentious  and  characteristic  products  of  the  literary  genius 
of  Drake’s  followers  were,  of  course,  the  books  written  by  them.  Oh,  that 
mine  enemy  would  write  a book!  Ever  since  the  time  of  Solomon  the  Wise 
there  has  been  no  end  of  book  writing.  The  followers  of  the  great  Drake 
have  done  their  share.  A comparatively  long  list  of  books  is  the  result  of 
their  activity.  Taking  it  all  in  all,  this  list  embodies  a most  honorable  record. 
The  greatest  medical  work  ever  written  in  this  part  of  the  country  is,  of 
course,  Drake’s  ‘'Diseases  of  the  Interior  Valley  of  North  America.”  The 
second  place  belongs  to  Eberle’s  monumental  work  on  “Practice.”  The  third 
should  be  accorded  to  Gross’  “Pathological  Anatomy”  which  was  conceived 
and  written  in  Cincinnati.  These  three  works,  written  before  1840,  rep- 
resent the  crowning  glory  of  the  literary  and  scientific  achievements  of  the 
Ohio  Valley. 

Considering  the  many  who  are  called  and  the  few  who  are  chosen,  it  is  a 
pity  that  the  hand  of  death  prevented  the  completion  of  two  works  that  were 
being  prepared  by  that  great  master  of  pen  and  scalpel,  Blackman ; one  on 
“The  Principles  and  Practice  of  Surgery,”  the  other  on  “Liability  in  Surgical 
Cases.”  Of  the  first  named  work  the  talented  Daniel  Young  was  to  be  the 
illustrator.  The  book  on  legal  medicine  was  being  jointly  written  by  Black- 
man and  Hon.  Stanley  Matthews.  Neither  work  was  completed.  Thus  the 
glory  of  being  the  foremost  medical  author  of  the  middle  of  the  last  cen- 
tury in  the  Ohio  Valley  belongs  to  Roberts  Bartholow,  whose  “Materia 
Medica”  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  therapeutics.  A work  of  great 
merit  and  undoubtedly  the  best  book  on  medicine  written  in  Cincinnati  during 
the  last  forty  years  is  James  M.  French’s  “Practice.”  There  have  been  many 
Eclectic  books  written  in  Cincinnati  that  have  had  a large  sale.  The  best 
known  and  most  successful  Eclectic  writers  were  John  M.  Scudder  and 
John  King. 


462 


In  presenting  a list  of  medical  books  written  in  Cincinnati  it  is  but  fair  to 
state  that  much  excellent  literary  .work  has  been  done  by  Cincinnati  physi- 
cians in  other  lines  besides  medicine,  e.  g.,  by  John  Locke,  Daniel  Vaughn, 
J.  D.  Buck,  J.  U.  Lloyd,  G.  Bruehl  and  others.  Mention  of  these  works  has  been 
made  in  the  biographical  sketches  of  these  men.  Some  of  the  foremost  authors 
mentioned  in  the  subjoined  list  did  not  remain  in  Cincinnati  but  moved  to 
other  places  where  they  continued  their  literary  labors.  Gross,  for  instance, 
was  very  productive  but  only  three  of  his  books  are  mentioned  in  our  list 
because  they  are  the  only  books  written  by  Gross  that  were  prepared  in  Cin- 
cinnati. The  list  is  to  be  representative  of  work  done  in  Cincinnati.  For 
obvious  reasons,  the  list  of  Daniel  Drake’s  works  is  produced  in  full.  By 
way  of  a befitting  introduction  sketches  of  some  of  the  more  notable  medical 
writers  are  given  who  are  not  already  referred  to  in  previous  chapters. 


A.  T.  Keyt 

ALONZO  T.  KEYT  who  his  whole  life  long  worked  in  the  interests  of 
pure  science,  and  like  most  prophets  was  better  known  to  and  appreciated  by 
the  world  at  large  than  by  the  people  of  his  home  town,  was  born  at  Hig- 
ginsport,  Ohio,  January  10,  1827.  After  receiving  a good  general  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  birthplace  and  in  an  academy  at  Felicity,  Ohio, 
he  began  to  study  medicine  as  a student-apprentice  in  1845.  He  attended 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  and  graduated  in  1848.  The  following  year  he 
spent  as  an  interne  in  the  Commercial  Hospital,  and,  completing  his  term  of 
service,  located  in  Higginsport  as  a practicing  physician.  After  waiting  for 
practice  for  almost  a year,  he  decided  that  he  could  do  better  away  from 
home  and  accordingly  located  on  Walnut  Hills,  a suburb  of  Cincinnati,  at 
that  time  sparsely  settled  and  without  a physician.  Here  he  lived  and  prac- 
ticed until  the  time  of  his  death,  November  9,  1885.  He  rose  during  this  long 

463 


succession  of  years  to  one  of  the  highest  places  among  the  physicians  of 
Cincinnati,  universally  beloved  on  account  of  his  many  sterling  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind. 

If  he  had  only  been  a successful  and  popular  practitioner,  the  world  would 
have  long  ago  forgotten  his  name.  Strange  irony  of  fate ! The  military 
hero  whose  reputation  was  made  in  destroying  human  life  and  happiness 
and  causing  unending  sorrow  and  misery,  is  kept  alive  in  bronze  and  stone, 
in  song  and  story.  The  faithful  physician  who  ministers  to  his  suffering  fel- 
lowman  and  lives  and  dies  in  the  service  of  human  life,  happiness  and  civil- 
ization, is  laid  away  and  all  the  good  that  he  has  done  is  securely  buried  with 
his  bones.  And  yet  no  one  could  gainsay  that  the  lowliest  country  doctor 
has  a greater  claim  to  the  gratitude  of  posterity  than  Napoleon  who  hides 
beneath  the  boast  of  heraldry  and  the  pomp  of  power  the  record  of  the 
greatest  criminal  of  all  history. 

Alonzo  T.  Keyt  was  not  merely  a messenger  of  mercy  and  humanity.  He 
was  a pathfinder  in  the  interests  of  human  knowledge  and  progress.  Therein 
lies  an  indisputable  claim  to  recognition  by  generations  to  come.  When  the 
physicians  of  the  future  shall  retrospectively  refer  to  the  really  great  names 
about  which  the  medical  history  of  this  part  of  our  country  is  entwined,  the 
name  of  the  great  sphygmographer,  Alonzo  T.  Keyt,  will  be  linked  with  those 
of  Daniel  Drake,  Daniel  Vaughn,  John  Locke,  Geo.  C.  Blackman  and  the 
other  giants  of  the  past. 

Keyt’s  studies  of  the  graphic  methods  of  portraying  the  movements  of 
the  blood  mass  began  in  1873.  He  started  by  familiarizing  himself  with  the 
work  that  others  had  done.  His  first  original  work  was  the  construction  of  a 
sphygmometer.  The  undulations  of  the  liquid  in  the  tube  as  transmitted  from 
the  pulse,  were  closely  observed.  In  natural  course  followed  the  placing 
of  a membrane  with  a lever,  over  the  upper  open  end  of  the  tube,  a clock- 
work motor  carrying  stage  and  slide,  with  a chronometer  registry  for  time, 
and  a sphygmograph,  transmitting  the  arterial  waves  through  the  liquid  medium, 
stood  forth.  This  gave  beautiful  tracings,  delineating  perfectly  in  the 
sphygmogram  all  the  pulse  waves,  as  well  as  also  cardiograms,  or  tracings  of 
the  movements  of  the  heart.  For  the  first  time  became  available  for  study 
and  complete  description  the  perfect  human  cardiogram  and  sphygmogram. 

It  did  not  require  a very  extended  use  of  the  instrument  to  ascertain  that, 
however  interesting  from  a physiological  point  of  view,  single  tracings  had 
little  of  clinical  or  pathological  value.  To  elucidate  the  problems  of  the 
circulation  a double  instrument  was  required,  one  that  would  take  two  trac- 
ings, the  heart  and  an  artery,  or  two  arteries,  the  one  above  the  other,  upon 
the  slide  ^ith  a chronographic  trace  below,  so  that  the  time  could  be  recorded 
and  the  difference  in  time  between  the  two  tracings  be  computed.  Such  a 
mechanism  Dr.  Keyt  devised,  a cardiograph  and  sphygmograph  combined, 
which  he  termed  the  compound  sphygmograph.  The  invention  has  stood  the 
test  of  time  and  is  today  the  best  adapted  for  its  purpose  of  any  that  have 

464  , 


been  produced.  M.  Marey — who  is  entitled  to  be  called  the  father  of 
sphygmography,  since  he  improved  and  adapted  to  practical  use  Vierordt’s 
instrument,  the  sphygmograph  first  invented — has  said  that  he  employed 
Doctor  Keyt’s  instrument  in  preference  to  his  own.  And  in  thus  speaking 
he  did  not  refer  to  his  well-known  spring  mechanism  for  a single  tracing, 
but  to  a compound  device  taking  two  tracings,  simultaneously,  the  pulsations 
being  transmitted  through  tubes  containing  air.  Francois  Franck,  a pupil  of 
Marey,  has  also  borne  testimony  to  Dr.  Keyt’s  sphygmograph  surpassing  all 
others  for  fidelity  and  utility.  Keyt’s  book  “Sphygmography  and  Cardi- 
ography” is  an  enduring  monument  to  his  industry  and  genius. 

Keyt  added  much  of  positive  value  to  our  knowledge  of  the  circulatory 
apparatus.  By  reliable  measurements  and  estimates  he  determined  the  time 
elapsing  between  the  contraction  of  the  ventricle  and  the  impulse  in  the  aorta — 
the  presphygmic  interval,  as  he  called  it,  or  the  syspasis  of  A.  H.  Garrod;  he 
pointed  out  the  many  variations  to  which  this  interval  is  subject  and  fur- 
nished the  reasons  therefor.  He  showed  that  abnormal  delay  of  the  pulse- 
wave  follows  upon  mitral  regurgitation  and  that  heavy  aortic  waves  retard 
the  transmission  of  the  wave.  Keyt  likewise  demonstrated  that  arterial 
rigidity  may  give  rise  to  acceleration  of  the  pulse  wave.  In  the  pursuit  of 
his  researches  Keyt  spent  thousands  of  dollars,  he  sufifered  much  pecuniary 
loss  by  forgetfulness  of  calls,  and  he  shortened  his  life  by  his  assiduous  labor. 
For  his  compound  sphygmograph  only  six, orders  were  received — one  from 
M.  Marey,  one  from  England,  and  four  from  the  United  States.  Of  his; 
book  about  400  copies  were  sold,  while  most  of  the  remainer  of  an  edition 
of  1,000  copies  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  publishing  house  in  New  York. 
But  he  counted  not  his  work  for  gain.  He  wrought  from  a pure  love  for 
science,  and  was  happy  when  he  brought  to  light  a new  fact  for  the  informal 
tion  of  the  profession  and  the  world.  Thus  Keyt  impersonated  the  purest 
type  of  the  scientist.  He  sought  the  truth  for  the  sake  of  knowing  it.  Pal~\ 
rnan^  qui  meruit,  ferat! 

Keyt’s  son-in-law  is  Asa  Brainerd  Isham.  He  was  born  at  Jackson 
Court  House,  Ohio,  in  1844,  received  his  education  at  Marietta,  Ohio, 
became  a journalist,  fought,  bled  and  sufifered  for  his  country  during  the 
Civil  War,  studied  medicine,  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio 
in  1869,  belonged  to  the  faculty  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery  as  professor  of  physiology  from  1877  to  1880  and  as  professor  of 
materia  medica  from  1880  to  1881.  He  edited  the  writings  of  Dr.  Keyt  and 
has  contributed  not  a little  to  the  literature  of  the  Civil  War.  His  daughter, 
Mary  K.  Isham,  is  a practicing  physician  and  has  repeatedly  been  elected 
secretary  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine. 

ADOLPHUS  E.  JONES,  born  in  Greensboro,  Greene  Co.,  Pa.,  in  1819, 
became  a student  in  the  old  Cincinnati  College  in  1837,  continued  his  studies 
at  Washington  and  Jefiferson  College,  Washington,  Pa.,  studied  medicine  at 


465 


Jefferson  Medical  College  and  graduated  in  1841.  He  started  to  practice 
in  the  town  of  his  birth.  In  1846  he  located  in  Fulton,  a suburb  of  Cincinnati, 
and  became  not  only  a prominent  physician,  but  one  of  the  foremost  citizens, 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  doings  of  the  town  council,  the  school  board  and 
the  board  of  health.  Subsequently  he  moved  to  Walnut  Hills.  When  the  war 
broke  out.  Gov.  Dennison  appointed  Jones  Military  Governor  of  the  Cincinnati 
District  (September  25,  1864,  to  April  28,  1863).  In  1863  he  became  Provost 
Marshall  of  the  First  District  of  Ohio.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  medicine  on  Walnut  Hills  and  took  as  lively  an  interest  as 
ever  in  the  municipal  affairs -of  the  community.  In  1888  he  was  appointed 
Surgeon  General  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  He  was  president  of  the  Commission 
which  had  the  erection  of  a monument  to  Wm.  H.  Harrison  in  charge.  Col. 
Jones  was  a popular  and  familiar  figure  in  the  city  for  many  years.  He  died 


A.  E.  Jones 


July  25,  1889  under  tragic  circumstances.  He  took  a great  interest  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Western  country,  and  left  a most  valuable  booklet  entitled 
“Early  Days  of  Cincinnati,  Columbia  and  North  Bend,  and  Trials  and  Hard- 
ships of  the  Pioneers.” 

THOMAS  C.  MINOR  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1846.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  obtained  at  a private  school  conducted  by  the  Misses  Dorfeuille, 
daughters  of  J.  Dorfeuille,  whose  name  has  elsewhere  been  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  Western  Museum.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  Minor  attended 
Herron’s  Seminary,  and  at  seventeen  began  his  medical  studies  at  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio,  graduating  in  1867.  After  serving  as  an  interne  in  St. 
John’s  and  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospitals,  he  spent  some  time  in  Paris, 
London  and  at  the  University  of  Wurzburg  under  Scanzoni.  Upon  his  re- 
turn from  Europe  he  located  in  Cincinnati  as  a general  practitioner.  The 


166 


experience  he  had  gathered  as  an  interne  in  a cholera  hospital  in  1866  came 
in  good  stead  in  1872  when  he  served  as  a member  of  the  board  of  health. 
During  the  smallpox  epidemic  in  1868  he  was  district  physician.  Ten  years 
later  he  was  health  officer,  being  re-elected  in  1879.  During  his  incumbency 
the  yellow  fever  raged  in  many  parts  of  the  country.  He  published  a volume 
on  “Yellow  Fever  in  the  Ohio  Valley  in  1878;”  the  reports  contained  therein 
being  presented  to  the  Yellow  Fever  Convention  which  met  in  Richmond, 
Va.,  in  1878.  Minor  declined  a re-election  as  health  officer  in  1880.  He  has 
served  the  public  and  the  profession  in  many  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility, as  police  commissioner,  as  a trustee  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati, 
as  a member  of  the  Board  of  Elections,  as  examining  surgeon  for  the  Gov- 
ernment, as  surgeon  and  medical  examiner  for  the  police  and  fire  depart- 
ments, as  examiner  for  the  United  States  Marine  Service  and  United  States 


T.  C.  Minor 


Navy.  During  all  these  years  of  official  life  and  general  practice  he  has  been 
closely  identified  with  medical  journalism.  The  files  of  the  “Lancet  and 
Observer,”  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic,”  and  the  “Lancet-Clinic”  bear  eloquent 
testimony  to  Minor’s  splendid  work  as  an  original  contributor,  as  a bib- 
liographer and  as  a translator  from  the  French,  Italian  and  Spanish.  Minor 
has  enriched  the  literature  of  epidemiology  by  many  valuable  contributions, 
notably  “Erysipelas  and  Child-bed-fever”  (a  volume),  “Scarlatina  Statistics” 
(a  brochure),  “Epidemiology  of  Ohio,”  “Cerebro-spinal  Meningitis”  and 
many  more.  These  writings  do  not  partake  of  the  ephemeral  character  of 
current  medical  literature,  but  are  among  the  best  that  have  been  contributed 
to  the  literature  of  the  subjects  discussed.  More  particularly,  his  statistical 
work  possesses  historical  value.  “Athothis,”  a satire  on  modern  medicine, 
attests  to  Minor’s  great  literary  talent  and  established  his  position  as  a med- 
ical litterateur  of  far  more  than  local  significance.  His  novel  “Her  Lady- 


467 


ship”  has  been  dramatized  and  is  a work  of  fiction  of  acknowledged  origin- 
ality and  value.  Minor  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker.  The  bibliography 
of  his  shorter  writings  and  of  his  translations,  especially  from  the  French 
masters  of  the  medical  feuilleton  (“Parisian  Medical  Chit-chat,”  “The  Evil 
that  Has  Been  Said  of  Doctors,”  “The  Good  that  Has  Been  Said  of  Doc- 
tors,” “Medicine  in  Ancient  Rome,”  “Medicine  in  the  Middle  Ages,”  “His- 
tory of  Prostitution  in  Antiquity,”  “The  Medical  School  of  Salerno”  and 
many  more),  is  an  eloquent  object-lesson  of  industry  and  enthusiasm  to  the 
younger  men  in  the  profession.  He  has  written  opera-librettos  and  has  scat- 
tered gems  of  thoughts  in  settings  of  exquisite  poetic  form  or  in  the  less 
pretentious  garb  of  prose-composition,  to  please  the  passing  fancy  of  the 
moment  or  to  afford  pleasure  to  others,  without  even  as  much  as  keeping  a 
record  of  the  children  of  his  genius, — a veritable  embarras  de  richesse.  Cou- 
pled with  his  astounding  productiveness  is  his  unparalleled  modesty  which 
has  kept  him  from  seeking  applause  or  even  appreciation.  Minor  is  an 
altruist  in  his  work.  The  work  itself  is  at  once  incentive  and  reward  to 
him.  In  the  history  of  medical  writing  in  this  Western  country  Minor  will 
always  deservedly  occupy  a place  of  honor.  Among  the  literary  followers  of 
Daniel  Drake  he  ranks  as  one  of  the  foremost. 


A.  G.  Drury 

ALEXANDER  GREER  DRURY,  son  of  Rev.  Asa  Drury,  who  is  re- 
ferred to  elsewhere  in  this  book,  was  born  in  Covington,  Ky.,  Eebruary  3, 
1844.  After  attending  the  public  and  high  school  of  his  native  town,  he 
entered  Center  College,  Danville,  Ky.,  in  1861  and  took  his  baccalaureate 
degree  in  the  arts  in  1865.  In  1865  he  began  his  medical  studies  in  the  Med- 
ical College  of  Ohio.  After  two  courses  of  lectures  he  matriculated  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  and  graduated  in  1868.  After  a year  and  a 
half  in  Europe  he  entered  general  practice  in  Cincinnati.  In  1878  he  received 


468 


the  ad  eundem  degree  from'  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  In  1901  he  was 
appointed  lecturer  on  hygiene  in  the  latter  institution,  in  1906  professor  of 
hygiene.  From  1891  to  1900  he  was  professor  of  dermatology  in  the  Laura 
Memorial  Medical  College  and  Dermatologist  to  the  Presbyterian  Hospital. 
In  1880  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine. 

Drury,  owing  to  his  modesty  and  retiring  disposition,  has  never  given  the 
profession  at  large  a chance  to  know  much  of  the  splendid  work  which  he 
has  done  in  gathering  and  preserving  historical  material  pertaining  to  medi- 
cine in  the  Ohio  Valley.  If  it  had  not  been  for  him,  a large  portion  of  the 
historical  records  of  medical  schools  and  affairs  in  Cincinnati  would  have 
been  irreparably  lost.  Whittaker’s  well  known  “History  of  the  Chair  of 
Practice  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio”  was  largely  Drury’s  work,  inasmuch 
as  he  furnished  the  material  contained  in  Whittaker’s  paper.  Drury’s  erudi- 
tion and  scholarship  have  made  him  a useful  and  productive  member  of  the 
American  Folk  Lore  Society.  He  has  written  many  short  historical  sketches 
pertaining  to  medicine,  and  quite  a few  biographies  most  of  which  appeared 
in  the  contemporaneous  medical  journals.  He  is  a master  of  the  art  of 
biography.  He  is  accurate  and  concise  and  draws  the  lines  of  a sketch  with  a 
firm  hand.  “The  Story  of  the  Apple”  and  other  belletristic  productions  at- 
test to  his  splendid  literary  ability.  A good  sample  of  painstaking  and  crit- 
ical literary  labor  is  his  “Dante-Physician.” 

Drury’s  pure  devotion  to  the  subject  of  historical  research  were  beauti- 
fully shown  when  the  author  began  the  preparation  of  “Daniel  Drake  and  His 
Followers.”  Drury,  in  his  characteristic  modest  way,  offered  to  aid  in  the 
work,  and,  without  condition  or  reserve,  turned  the  results  of  thirty  years  of 
labor  over  to  the  writer.  The  excellence  of  the  work  done  by  Drury  is  only 
equalled  by  the  altruism  which  has  been  the  inspiration  of  his  labors. 

EDWARD  SYDNEY  McKEE  was  born  near  Hamilton,  Ohio,  in  1858. 
He  received  his  literary  education  at  Monmouth  College,  Miami  University 
and  the  University  of  Cincinnati.  He  graduated  from  the  Medical  College 
of  Ohio  in  1881.  From  1883  to  1908  he  was  clinical  gynecologist  in  his 
Alma  Mater.  He  has  been  closely  identified  with  medical  organizations. 
As  a medical  writer  his  strength  lies  in  the  art  of  synopsis  of  current  litera- 
ture. He  is  one  of  the  most  widely  quoted  medical  reviewers  in  the  country 
and  has  contributed  to  many  important  encyclopedic  works,  like  the  “Ref- 
erence Handbook  of  the  Medical  Sciences,”  Martin’s  “Diseases  of  Women,” 
etc.  As  a contributor  to  the  contemporaneous  medical  press  he  is  known 
to  every  reader  of  medical  journals  in  the  United  States.  He  is  clinical  in- 
structor in  gynecology  at  the  Seton  Hospital. 

W.  C.  COOPER,  of  Cleves,  Ohio,  ranks  with  the  foremost  literary  men 
in  the  profession.  He  was  born  at  North  Bend,  Ohio,  in  1835.  He  had  no 
school  advantages  whatever  because  his  father,  as  he  puts  it,  “maintained  a 


469 


dead  level  of  impeciiniosity  through  all  the  son’s  minority.”  The  son’s  love 
of  knowledge  and  study  triumphed  over  all  difficulties.  The  years  of  his 
childhood  and  adolescence  were  spent  amid  all  kinds  of  manual  and  menial 
work  interspersed  with  many  a long  night-vigil  over  books  which  he  man- 
aged to  buy  or  borrow.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  he  had  qualified 
himself  to  take  charge  of  a little  country  school.  He  rapidly  rose  in  the 
profession  of  teaching,  and  after  twelve  years  was  the  principal  of  a high 
school.  At  this  time  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  J.  M.  Scudder. 
In  1867  he  graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute,  practiced  for  one 
year  in  Mt.  Carmel,  Ind.,  and  for  twelve  years  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  where 
he  edited  a small  journal,  the  ‘‘Medical  Review.”  In  1880  he  took  up  his 
permanent  abode  in  Cleves,  Ohio.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  W.  E.  Bloyer’s 
associate  in  the  editorial  management  ^of  the  “Medical  Gleaner.”  In  this 
capacity  he  attracted  attention  by  his  vigorous  idiomatic  English  and  his 


E.  S.  McKee 


quaint  originality  of  thought.  His  book  “Tethered  Truants,”  containing  many 
of  his  essays,  sketches  and  poems,  reveals  Cooper’s  powers  as  a word-painter, 
a sharp  and  forcible  critic  and  observer  and,  in  no  small  degree,  his  gift  of 
delightful  humor.  His  book  on  “Immortality”  is  a philosophic  product  in 
which  Cooper  appears  as  a hopeful  agnostic.  Another  one  of  his  books, 
“Mind  and  Matter,”  follows  along  similar  paths.  Its  lines  were  penned  by 
an  absolute  modernist,  yet  the  ascetic  frigidity  of  materialistic  research  is 
relieved  by  the  warm  glow  of  optimism..  A similar  work  is  “The  Primitive 
Fundamental.”  His  views  on  the  philosophy  of  medicine  are  contained  in 
his  “Preventive  Medicine.”  Cooper  has  recently  lost  his  hearing  and  sight 
and  is  otherwise  in  frail  health.  His  remarkable  mind  is  as  original,  clear 
and  active  as  ever.  The  optimism  of  former  years  has  given  way  to  a stoicism 
that  is  pathetic.  In  a recent  letter  to  the  author  he  says : “I  am  now  a mere 
wrinkled  reminiscence,  groping  in  the  haze  of  senescence.  I am  standing 


470 


beside  my  own  death-bed  watching  my  old  worn-out  corpus  as  it  tumbles  into 
extinction.  My  conclusion  is  that  life  is  not  more  than  worth  living,  and  that 
since  we  must  live,  a conservative  egoism  is  the  best  altruism.” 


AUGUSTUS  RAVOGLI,  who,  as  a member  of  the  Ohio  State  Board 
of  Medical  Registration  and  Examination,  has  been  intimately  associated 
with  the  cause  of  medical  education,  was  born  in  Rome,  Italy,  in  1851,  where 
he  also  received  his  literary  and  medical  education.  He  came  to  this  country 
in  1881  and  has  won  distinction  as  a dermatologist  and  syphilographer.  In 
1896  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  dermatology  and  syphilology  in  the 
Medical  College  of  Ohio.  His  efforts  on  behalf  of  medical  education  brought 
him  into  disfavor  with  interested  persons.  This  led  to  his  resignation  from 
his  chair  in  1908.  As  an  exponent  of  his  special  line  of  work  he  has  been  a 
conspicuous  figure  at  national  and  international  gatherings.  His  book  on 
syphilis  is  a contribution  of  acknowledged  value. 


h.  N.  Worthington 

LEWIS  NICHOLAS  WORTHINGTON,  who  is  living  in  Paris,  Erance, 
and  has  achieved  considerable  reputation  as  a medical  author,  is  a Cincin- 
nati product.  He  was  born  in  1839.  His  father  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital.  He  graduated  from  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 
lege in  1871  and  at  once  tooE  up  his  residence  in  the  French  capital.  All 
his  writing  has  been  in  French.  He  published  a volume  on  the  “Etiology, 
Therapy  and  Hygiene  of  Obesity,”  a collection  of  papers  on  chemical,  botan- 
ical and  zoological  subjects  and  a volume  of  essays  on  miscellaneous  topics 
in  medicine.  He  dedicated  his  book  on  “Obesity”  to  the  faculty  of  the  Miami 
Medical  College. 


471 


JOHN  B.  WILSON  was  born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  in  1857,  taught  a 
country  school  for  many  years  and  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1891.  He  is  best  known  as  one  of  the  foremost 
American  exponents  of  free  thought  and  was  one  of  the  American  delegates 
to  the  International  Congress  of  Freethinkers,  held  in  Rome,  Italy,  in  lOOd, 
The  impressions  gathered  at  this  noteworthy  meeting  together  with  his  ex- 
periences while  travelling  in  Europe,  form  the  contents  of  his  first  preten- 
tious literary  effort,  “A  Trip  to  Rome.”  This  book  has  been  widely  read 
and  has  made  for  its  author  a reputation  as  a keen  observer  and  an  original 
and  entertaining  raconteur.  Many  contributions  to  current  magazines  and  a 
volume  of  poems  attest  to  Wilson’s  versatility.  His  poetic  temperament  finds 
its  happiest  expression  in  didactic  and  lyric  composition.  Wilson  is  in  active 
practice  in  Cincinnati. 


JOHN  M.  CRAWFORD,  born  in  1846,  at  Herrick,  Pa.,  taught  school  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  was  principal  of  a high  school  in  1872,  was  a professor 
in  the  old  Chickering  Institute  in  Cincinnati  in  1873  and  finally  began  to 
study  medicine.  He  is  an  alumnus  of  three  medical  colleges:  Eclectic  Med- 
ical Institute  (1879),  Pulte  Medical  College  (1879)  and  Miami  Medical 
College  (1881).  In  1882  he  was  elected  professor  of  physiology  and  micro- 
scopy in  Pulte  Medical  College.  In  1889  President  Harrison  appointed  him 
Consul-General  of  the  United  States  to  Russia.  He  held  this  post  for  five 
years.  Upon  his  return  to  this  country  he  abandoned  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  thus  exchanging  the  staff  of  Aesculapius 
for  that  of  Mercury.  Crawford  has  been  a diligent  student  of  the  literature 
of  Finland.  He  has  translated  liberally  from  the  Finnish,  his  best  known 
work  being  his  English  edition  of  the  Finnish  epic,  “Kalevala.” 


LOUIS  STRICKER,  author  of  an  exhaustive  monograph  on  the  “Chris- 
talline  Lens  System,”  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1863.  He  graduated  from 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1891,  did  post-graduate  work  in  Europe  for 
two  years  and  located  in  his  native  town  in  1893  as  an  oculist.  He  has 
been  a liberal  contributor  to  the  literature  of  ophthalmology.  He  has  written 
on  “Syphilis  of  the  Uveal  Tract,”  “Pathology  of  Corneal  Ulcer,”  “Eye 
Strain,”  “The  Neuronic  Architecture  of  the  Visual  Apparatus,”  “Ocular 
Symptoms  of  Tabes,”  “Physiologic  and  Pathologic  Effects  of  Light  on  the 
Eye,”  etc.,  etc.  Strieker  is  a painstaking  and  conscientious  worker.  He  is 
the  oculist  for  the  Blind  Relief  Commission  of  Hamilton  County,  and,  as 
such,  has  given  the  profession  statistical  reports  of  the  greatest  etiologic  and 
economic  value.  His  book  on  the  “Christalline  Lens  System”  appeared  in 
1898  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  monographs  of  its  kind. 


472 


BENJAMIN  MERRILL  RICKETTS,  born  in  Proctorville,  O.,  in  1858, 
attended  the  Miami  Medical  College,  graduated  in  1881,  practiced  in  Ironton, 
O.,  two  years,  in  Columbus,  O.,  one  year,  and  spent  one  year  as  interne  in  the 
New  York  Skin  and  Cancer  Hospital.  He  located  in  Cincinnati  in  1886.  He 
has  done  a great  deal  of  valuable  bibliographic  work  in  the  careful  elaboration 
of  special  subjects  in  surgery  and  is  well  known  as  a ubiquitous  attendant  of 
meetings  of  medical  societies  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  His  literary  work  is 
referred  to  in  the  list  of  medical  authors. 

MAXIMILIAN  HERZOG,  born  1858  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  Ger- 
many, studied  natural  sciences  in  Giessen,  Strassburg  and  Marburg  emi- 
grated in  1882  to  America  and  found  employment  as  a German  journalist  in 
Cincinnati.  He  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  from  1885  to  1890 
filling  at  the  same  time  the  position  of  local  editor  of  the  Volksblatt.  He 
graduated  in  1890  and  took  post-graduate  courses  in  Europe,  devoting  spe- 
cial attention  to  laryngology.  He  practiced  in  Cincinnati  from  1892  to  1894. 
In  1896  he  became  professor  of  pathology  and  bacteriology  at  the  Chicago 
Polyclinic.  In  1903  he  went  to  Manila,  P.  L,  as  pathologist  for  the  United 
States  Government.  Two  and  a half  years  later  he  returned  to  Chicago  to 
accept  a position  of  pathologist  at  Michael  Reese  Hospital  and  the  chair  of 
general  and  comparative  pathology  at  the  Chicago  Veterinary  College.  Her- 
zog has  contributed  liberally  to  the  literature  of  pathology,  bacteriology, 
physiologic  chemistry  and  epidemiology.  His  best  known  monographs  are: 
“Bubonic  Plague,”  “Beriberi”  (in  Osier’s  System),  “The  Earliest  Known 
Stages  of  Placentation  and  Embryonic  Development  in  Man,”  etc.  Herzog 
demonstrated  a human  ovum  before  the  International  Zoological  Congress  in 
Boston  in  1907,  showing  the  earliest  embryonic  development  hitherto  ob- 
served. 

HARVEY  W.  FELTER,  born  at  Rensselaerville,  N.  Y.,  in  1865,  began 
teaching  school  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine  in  1886  at  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  and  graduated  in  1888. 
He  practiced  for  about  a year  in  Troy,  N.  Y.  He  then  located  in  Cincinnati. 
In  1891  he  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  his  Alma  Mater  and 
eventually  was  promoted  to  the  professorship  of  descriptive  and  surgical 
anatomy.  In  1895  he  collated,  elaborated  and  edited  F.  J.  Locke’s  lectures  on 
materia  medica  and  published  them  under  the  name  of  “Locke’s  Syllabus 
of  Eclectic  Materia  Medica.”  In  conjunction  with  John  Uri  Lloyd  he 
revised  King’s  “American  Dispensatory”  and  published  it  in  two  volumes. 
He  is  the  editor  of  the  “Eclectic  Medical  Gleaner.”  In  1902  he  brought  out  a 
“History  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute,”  a work  which  involved  consid- 
erable historical  research  and  contains  a wealth  of  material  pertaining  to  the 
early  development  of  Eclecticism  in  the  West. 


473 


HENRY  HAACKE  never  practiced  medicine,  but  for  years  was  a con- 
tributor to  the  current  medical  press.  He  translated  from  the  French  and 
German  and  for  a number  of  years  after  his  graduation  in  medicine  was  em- 
ployed by  Eastern  publishers  who  were  preparing  American  editions  of  Ger- 
man and  French  medical  works.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1832,  came  to 
Cincinnati  in  1856,  taught  French  and  German  at  Woodward  High  School 
and  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  in  1869.  In  1872  he  pur- 
chased the  Volksfreund,  and  was  its  editor  and  publisher  until  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1903.  A small  volume  of  poems  translated  into  German  from 
the  Dutch  and  Russian  attests  to  his  poetic  talent  and  linguistic  ability.  As  a 
master  of  languages  he  was  a marvel.  He  spoke  and  wrote  German,  Eng- 
lish, Spanish,  Dutch  and  Russian,  and  had  a good  knowledge  of  Swedish  and 
Italian.  In  addition  to  his  knowledge  of  modern  tongues  he  was  a master  of 
Greek  and  Latin. 


H.  Haacke  ' H.  W.  Felter 


ORPHEUS  EVERTS  was  born  in  Salem,  Union  County,  Indiana,  in 
1826  and  studied  medicine  under  the  direction  of  his  father.  He  received  his 
degree  from  the  Medical  College  of  Indiana  in  1846  and  began  to  practice 
in  St.  Charles,  111.,  devoting  his  spare  time  to  editing  a country  newspaper 
and  studying  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860.  Incidentally  he 
had  been  registrar  of  the  United  States  Land  Office  in  Hudson,  Wis.,  and 
had  served  as  a presidential  elector  from  Indiana.  During  the  war  he  was 
surgeon  of  the  20th  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteers  and  participated  in  nearly 
every  battle  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  his  practice,  giving  special  attention  to  the 
study  of  psychiatry  and  neuropathology.  He  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  Indiana  Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  1868  and  filled  the  position  for 
eleven  years.  In  1880  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  Cincinnati  Sani- 


474 


tarium  and  remained  at  its  head  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1903.  Hon- 
orary degrees  were  conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of  Michigan  and 
Rush  Medical  College. 

Everts  was  an  alienist  of  great  ability  and  had  a vast  reputation  as  an 
expert  in  medico-legal  cases.  He  was  called  in  the  trial  of  Guiteau,  the 
murderer  of  President  Garfield.  He  contributed  many  papers  on  neurological 
and  psychopathic  subjects  to  the  contemporaneous  medical  press.  Everts 
was  a litterateur  of  great  talent,  as  shown  by  his  two  philosophical  novels 
‘‘Giles  & Co.,”  and  “The  Cliffords.”  His  poetic  talent  appears  to  good  ad- 
vantage in  “Facts  and  Fancies,”  a modern  American  epic,  and  “The  Lost 
Poet,”  a poem  written  for  the  Western  Association  of  Authors,  and  com- 
posed when  Everts  was  over  seventy  years  of  age.  Everts  was  laid  to  rest 
in  Crown  Hill  Cemetery,  Indianapolis,  Ind.  His  successor  in  the  Cincin- 
nati Sanitarium  is  Frank  W.  Langdon,  professor  of  nervous  diseases  in  the 
Miami  Medical  College. 


O.  Everts 


THE  ROLL  OF  HONOR.  The  following  is  an  approximately  com- 
plete list  of  medical  books  which  were  prepared,  written  or  published  in  Cin- 
cinnati. A few  pamphlets  of  great  historical  or  scientific  value  are  included : 

ALLEN,  SAMUEL  E. — The  Mastoid  Operation.  1902.  Ill  pp. 

BARTHOLOW,  ROBERTS — Pathological  and  Experimental  Observations  on  Cholera 
1866,  14  pp. 

The  Degree  of  Certainty  in  Therapeutics.  1878.  18  pp. 

Physiological  Effects  and  Therapeutic  Uses  of  the  Bromides.  1871.  47  pp. 

The  Hygiene  of  Surburban  Life.  1879.  22  pp. 

A Practical  Treatise  on  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.  1880.  600  pp. 

Antagonism  Between  Medicines  and  Between  Remedies  and  Diseases.  1881.  122  pp. 

Medical  Electricity.  1881,  266  pp. 

Hypodermatic  Medication.  1882.  365  pp. 

Treatise  on  the  Practice  of  Medicine.  1885.  900  pp. 


475 


BICKLEY,  G.  W.  L. — Physiological  Botany.  1853.  209  pp. 

Concentrated  Preparations  (pamphlet).  1855. 

BLACKMAN,  GEORGE  C. — Handbook  for  the  Military  Surgeon  (In  conjunction  with 
Dr.  Tripler).  1861.  164  pp. 

BUCHANAN,  JOS.  RODES. — System  of  Anthropology.  1854.  400  pp. 

Manual  of  Psychometry.  1855.  500  pp. 

Eclecticism  and  Excltisivism.  1851.  65  pp. 

CLEAVELAND,  CHARLES  H. — Galvanism  as  a Remedial  Agent.  1853.  100  pp. 

Causes  and  Cure  of  Diseases  of  the  Feet.  1862.  120  pp. 

Pronouncing  Medical  Dictionary.  1858.  302  pp. 

COMEGYS,  C.  G. — Renouard’s  History  of  Medicine  (translation).  1856.  719  pp. 

COOK,  WILLIAM  H. — The  Questions  of  Life  and  Death ; a Defense  of  Physio-Med- 
icalism  (pamphlet).  1857. 

A Treatise  on  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  Surgery.  1858.  714  pp.,  133  figs. 

Physio-Medical  Dispensatory.  1858.  720  pp. 

COOPER,  WM.  C. — Preventive  Medicine.  1905.  147  pp. 

CURTIS,  ALVA — Lectures  on  Midwifery  and  Diseases  Peculiar  to  Women  and  Chil- 
dren. 1846.  446  pp. 

Lectures  on  Medical  Science.  1846.  464  pp. 

A Fair  Exposition  of  Allopathy  (pamphlet).  1850. 

A Fair  Examination  and  Criticism  of  All  the  Medical  Systems  in  Vogue.  1855. 

208  pp. 

Allopathy  Versus  Physio-Medicalism.  1870.  176  pp. 

DRAKE,  DANIEL — Notices  of  Cincinnati,  its  Topography,  Climate  and  Diseases.  1810. 
Picture  of  Cincinnati.  1815.  251  pp.  ^ 

An  Inaugural  Discourse  on  Medical  Education.  1820.  31  pp. 

A Narrative  of  the  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  1822.  42  pp. 

An  Introductory  Lecture  on  the  Necessity  and  Value  of  Professional  Industry. 
1823.  31  pp. 

A Discourse  on  Intemperance.  1828.  96  pp. 

An  Oration  on  the  Causes,  Evils  and  Preventatives  of  Intemperance.  1831.  21  pp. 

Practical  Essays  on  Medical  Education  and  the  Medical  Profession  in  the  United 
States.  1832.  104  pp. 

A Practical  Treatise  on  the  History,  Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Epidemic  Cholera, 
Designed  Both  for  the  Profession  and  the  People.  1832.  180  pp. 

An  Account  of  the  Epidemic  Cholera,  as  it  Appeared  in  Cincinnati.  1832.  46  pp. 

An  Introductory  Discourse  to  a Course  of  Lectures  on  Clinical  Medicine  and 
Pathological  Anatomy.  1840.  16  pp. 

A Memoir  of  the  Disease  called  by  the  People  the  Trembles,  and  the  Sick  Stomach 
or  Milk-Sickness,  as  they  Appear  in  the  Virginia  Military  District  in  the  State  of 
Ohio.  1841.  57  pp. 

The  Northern  Lakes  a Summer  Residence  for  Invalids  of  the  South.  1842.  29  pp. 

An  Introductory  Lecture  on  the  Means  of  Promoting  the  Intellectual  Improvement 
of  the  Students  and  Physicians  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  1844.  24  pp. 
Analytical  Report  of  a Series  of  Experiments  in  Mesmeric  Somniloquism,  Per- 


476 


formed  by  an  Association  of  Gentlemen ; with  Speculations  on  the  Production 
of  its  Phenomena.  1844.  56  pp. 

Strictures  on  Some  of  the  Defects  and  Infirmities  of  Intellectual  and  Moral  Char- 
acter in  Students  of  Medicine ; an  Introductory  Lecture,  1847.  16  pp. 

An  Introductory  Lecture  at  the  Opening  of  the  Thirtieth  Session  of  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio.  1849.  16  pp. 

A Systematic  Treatise,  Historical,  Etiological  and  Practical,  on  the  Principal  Dis- 
eases of  the  Interior  Valley  of  North  America,  as  They  Appear  in  the  Cau- 
casian, African,  Indian  and  Esquimaux  Varieties  of  its  Population.  1850.  2 

large  vols.,  878  pp.  1854.  982  pp. 

Discourses  Delivered  by  Appointment  Before  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Library  As- 
sociation. 1852.  93  pp. 

Pioneer  Life  in  Kentucky:  A Series  of  Reminiscent  Letters  to  His  Children;  edited 
with  notes  and  biographical  sketch  by  his  son,  Charles  D.  Drake.  1870.  263  pp. 

EBERLE,  JOHN — A Treatise  on  the  Practice  of  Medicine.  2 vols.  1831.  523  pp., 

550  pp. 

A Treatise  on  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.  2 vols.  1834.  450  pp.,  475  pp. 

A Treatise  on  the  Diseases  and  Physical  Education  of  Children.  1833.  559  pp. 

Notes  of  Lectures  on  Practice.  1834.  218  pp. 

FELTER,  H.  W. — A History  of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Institute.  1902.  203  pp. 

FENNEL,  CHAS.  T.  P. — Principles  of  General  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry.  1909.  450  pp. 

FOLTZ,  KENT  O. — Diseases  of  the  Eye.  1900.  566  pp. 

Diseases  of  the  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat.  1906.  643  pp. 

FORCHHEIMER,  F. — Hofmann  and  Ultzmann’s  Guide  to  the  Examination  of  Urine 
(translation).  1879. 

Prophylaxis  and  Treatment  of  Internal  Diseases.  1906.  652  pp. 

FRENCH,  JAS.  M. — Text-book  of  Practice.  1907.  1253  pp. 

FULLER,  GEORGE  W. — Investigation  Into  the  Purification  of  Ohio  River  Water. 
Prepared  for  Water  Works  Commission.  1899.  620  pp. 

GROSS,  SAMUEL  D. — Elements  of  Pathological  Anatomy.  2 vols.  1839.  518  pp., 

510  pp. 

Wounds  of  the  Intestines.  1843.  219  pp. 

A Practical  Treatise  on  the  Diseases,  Injuries  and  Malformations  of  the  Urinary 
Bladder,  Prostate  Gland  and  Urethra.  1851.  726  pp. 

GOBRECHT,  WM.  H. — Erasmus  Wilson’s  Anatomy.  1868.  616  pp. 

HARRISON,  JOHN  P. — Elements  of  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.  2 vols.  1845. 
405  pp.,  619  pp. 

Essays  and  Lectures  on  Medical  Subjects.  1835.  192  pp. 

HENRY,  JOHN  F. — The  Cholera  in  Cincinnati  in  1832  (pamphlet).  1832. 

HILL,  BENJAMIN  L. — Lectures  on  the  American  Eclectic  System  of  Surgery.  1870. 
795  pp. 


477 


HOUGH,  J.  B. — A Guide  to  Chemical  Testing.  1877.  102  pp. 


HOWARD,  HORTON — An  Improved  System  of  Botanic  Medicine.  1852.  542  pp. 

Domestic  Medicine.  2 vols.  1858.  236  pp.,  580  pp. 

Samuel  Thomson’s  New  Guide  to  Health.  (Edited  by  H.  Howard.)  1827.  125  pp. 

HOWE,  ANDREW  J. — Fractures  and  Dislocations.  1873.  424  pp. 

Manual  of  Eye  Surgery.  1874.  204  pp. 

Art  and  Science  of  Surgery.  1876.  876  pp. 

Operative  Gynecology.  1890. 

Conversations  on  Animal  Life.  1897.  363  pp. 

Miscellaneous  Papers  (posthumous).  1898. 

JEANCON,  JOHN  A. — Pathological  Anatomy,  Pathology  and  Physical  Diagnosis.  1888. 
100  plates,  fol. 

Diseases  of  the  Sexual  Organs.  2 vols.  1894.  112  pp.,  56  plates ; 50  pp.  24 

plates,  fol.  , 

TONES,  ICHABOD  G. — American  Eclectic  Practice  of  Medicine.  (In  conjunction 
with  Wm.  Sherwood.)  2 vols.  1852.  806  pp.,  792  pp. 

JONES,  L.  E. — American  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.  (In  conjunction  with 
J.  M.  Scudder.)  1858.  311  pp. 

JUETTNER,  OTTO. — Modern  Physio-Therapy.  1906.  520  pp. 

Physical  Therapeutic  Methods,  1909.  635  pp. 

KEYT,  A.  T. — Sphygmography  and  Cardiography,  Physiological  and  Clinical.  1837. 
229  pp. 

KING,  JOHN — American  Dispensatory.  1854.  1391  pp. 

American  Obstetrics.  1355.  741  pp. 

Women,  Their  Diseases  and  Treatment.  1858.  366  pp. 

The  Microscopist’s  Companion.  1859. 

The  American  Family  Physician.  1860.  798  pp. 

Chronic  Diseases.  1866.  1607  pp. 

Urological  Dictionary.  1878.  266  pp. 

LAWSON,  L.  M. — James  Hope’s  Principles  of  Morbid  Anatomy.  1845.  430  pp.,  260 

col.  plates. 

Review  of  Homoeopathy,  Allopathy  and  “Young  Physic”  (pamphlet).  1846. 

Nature  and  Treatment  of  Cholera.  1848.  58  pp. 

The  Incentive,  Means  and  Rewards  of  Study  (pamphlet).  1851. 

Treatment  of  Inflammation,  Especially  Pneumonia  (pamphlet).  1857. 

A Practical  Treatise  on  Phthisis  Pulmonalis.  1861.  557  pp. 

LLOYD,  J.  U. — Chemistry  of  Medicines.  1881.  451  pp. 

Elixirs,  Their  History,  Formulae  and  Methods  of  Preparation.  1883.  187  pp. 

Drugs  and  Medicines  of  North  America.  2 vols.  1885.  304  pp.,  25  pi.;  162  pp. 

15  pi. 

A Study  in  Pharmacy.  1895.  212  pp. 

King’s  Dispensatory  (1881)  Supplement. 

American  Dispensatory.  Re-written  in  conjunction  with  H.  W.  Felter.  2 vols. 
1898-1900.  901  pp.,  2172  pp. 


478 


l.OCKE,  F.  J. — Syllabus  of  Eclectic  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.  (Edited  by 
H.  W.  Felter.)  1895.  461  pp. 

LOCKE,  JOHN — Lectures  on  Geology,  Chemistry  and  Toxicology.  1839.  1848. 

Analysis  of  Western  Waters.  1853. 

MALSBARY,  GEORGE  E. — Practice  of  Medicine.  1901.  404  pp. 

MENDENHALL,  GEORGE — The  Medical  Student's  Vade  Mecum.  A compendium  of 
all  branches  of  medical  study.  1871.  692  pp. 

The  Epidemics  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan  During  the  Years  1852  and  1853. 
1858.  132  pp. 

MINOR,  THOS.  C. — Erysipelas  and  Childbed  Fever.  1874.  131  pp. 

Scarlatina  Statistics  of  the  United  States.  1875.  55  pp. 

Epidemiology  of  Ohio.  1877.  103  pp. 

Yellow  Fever  in  Ohio  in  1878.  1879.  122  pp. 

Athothis,  a Satire  on  Modern  Medicine.  3 887.  194  pp. 

MITCHELL,  THOS.  D. — Elements  of  Chemical  Philosophy.  1832.  553  pp. 

Hints  to  Students.  1832.  85  pp. 

MUSSEY,  R.  D. — Fracture  of  the  Neck  of  the  Thigh-bone  (pamphlet).  1857. 

What  Shall  I Drink?  (pamphlet).  1863. 

Health,  Its  Friends  and  Foes.  1866.  380  pp. 

NICKLES,  SAMUEL — Emil  Siegle’s  Treatment  of  Diseases  of  the  Throat  and  Lungs 
by  Inhalations  (translation).  1868.  136  pp. 

NEWTON,  ROBERT  S. — Eclectic  Dispensatory  of  the  United  States.  (In  conjunc- 
tion with  John  King.)  1852. 

Pathology  of  Fevers  and  Inflammations  (pamphlet).  1853. 

Eclectic  Practice  of  Medicine.  (In  conjunction  with  Wm.  B.  Powell.)  1854. 
1084  pp. 

Diseases  of  Children.  (In  conjunction  with  Wm.  B.  Powell),  1867.  610  pp. 

POWELL,  WM.  B. — Natural  History  of  the  Human  Temperaments.  1856.  246  pp. 

PULTE,  JOS.  H. — Woman’s  Medical  Guide.  1853.  339  pp. 

Homoeopathic  Physician.  1863.  719  pp. 

Asiatic  Cholera  (pamphlet).  1866. 

RACHFORD,  B.  K. — Neurotic  Disorders  of  Childhood.  1905.  440  pp. 

RAVOGLI,  AUGUST — Hygiene  of  the  Skin.  1888.  400  pp. 

Syphilis  in  its  Medical,  Medico-Legal  and  Sociological  Aspects.  1907.  518  pp. 

REED,  C.  A.  L. — A Text-book  of  Gynecology.  1907.  900  pp. 

REID,  MARY  E.  (nurse) — Bacteriology  In  a Nutshell.  1904.  114  pp. 

479 


RICKETTS,  B.  M. — What  to  Do  in  Case  of  Accident.  1893.  62  pp.,  34  fig. 

Surgery  of  the  Heart  and  Lungs.  1904.  510  pp. 

Surgery  of  the  Prostate,  Pancreas,  Spleen,  Diaphragm,  Thyroid  and  Hydrocephalus. 
1904.  250  pp. 

Surgery  of  the  Ureter.  1908.  244  pp. 

Surgery  of  Apoplexy.  1908.  200  pp. 

Surgery  of  Aneurism.  1908.  202  pp. 

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1881.  32  pp.,  59  plates,  fol. 

ROWE,  JAS.  W. — A Hand-book  on  the  Newly  Born,  1906.  132  pp. 

SATTLER,  ERIC  E. — Arnold  Spina’s  History  of  Tuberculosis.  (Translation,  with 
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SCHROEDER,  J.  HENRY. — A Text-book  of  Chemistry  for  Veterinary  Students. 
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Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.  1860.  748  pp. 

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Diseases  of  Children.  1867.  400  pp. 

Specific  Medication.  1871.  393  pp. 

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Venereal  Diseases.  1874.  395  pp. 

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STRICKER,  LOUIS — The  Christalline  Lens  System.  1898,  600  pp. 

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Lectures  on  Physiology.  1879.  288  pp. 

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480 


MEDICAL  JOURNALS.  The  medical  journals  of  any  particular  part  or 
section  of  the  country  are  a good  criterion  of  the  scientific  and  professional 
temperament  of  its  physicians.  This  holds  good  in  regard  to  the  number  as 
well  as  the  quality  of  the  journals.  Where  but  one  medical  journal  is  pub- 
lished to  represent  a numerically  strong  profession,  the  life  of  the  profes- 
sion can  be  assumed  to  be  sluggish  and  indifferent.  The  record  of  medical 
Cincinnati  offers  a striking  illustration  in  support  of  this  statement.  During 
the  formative  period  of  the  profession  (1820-1840)  one  or  two  regular 
journals  made  their  appearance.  They  reflected  the  vigor  of  the  pioneer 
days  and  the  genius  of  men  like  Drake.  Cincinnati  was  then  what  we  would 
call  a small  town.  The  doctors  of  the  town  and  surrounding  territory  were 
few  in  number,  but  they  made  up  in  intellectual  and  moral  strength  what 
they  lacked  in  numbers.  Thus  it  was  that  in  1835  two  qualitatively  strong 
journals  represented  a numerically  weak  profession.  The  period  of  reaction 
and  indifference  which  followed  (1840  to  1855)  produced  but  one  regular 
journal,  which,  however,  qualitatively  amounted  to  very  little.  Lawson,  the 
editor,  was  a great  diplomat,  who  aimed  to  please  everybody  and  to  always 
be  on  the  side  of  the  majority.  The  advent  of  Blackman  and  Graham  in- 
augurated the  halcyon  days  of  the  local  profession  (1855  to  1875).  The 
medical  journals  multiplied,  and  reflected  the  strength  of  the  leaders.  The 
“Lancet  and  Observer”  rose  to  a very  considerable  height  of  journalistic 
quality.  The  “Clinic,”  a weekly  (weakly,  as  the  irrepressible  Thacker  in- 
sisted on  spelling  the  word)  publication  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
was,  considering  its  proprietary  interests,  a good  specimen  of  medical  jour- 
nalism. Lrom  a purely  scientific  point  of  view  the  “Cincinnati  Journal  of 
Medicine”  under  Blackman  and  Parvin  did  not  have  its  equal.  As  an 
example  of  moral  strength,  fearless  criticism  and  powerful  individuality, 
the  “Medical  News”  represents  the  best  that  medical  journalism  in  Cincin- 
nati offers  since  the  days  of  the  “Western  Journal.”  The  decadence  in  med- 
ical journalism  in  Cincinnati  began  after  the  consolidation  of  the  “Lancet 
and  Observer”  and  “Clinic.”  Culbertson  did  his  best  work  before  1878  as 
the  editor  of  the  “Lancet  and  Observer.”  After  1878  he  became  a utili- 
tarian, anxious  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  Mrs.  Grundy  in  the  profession 
and  out  of  it.  Thomas  C.  Minor’s  work  was  the  redeeming  feature  of  Cul- 
bertson’s journal  after  1880.  The  death  of  John  A.  Thacker  and  the  coin- 
cident suspension  of  the  “Medical  News”  meant  an  irretrievable  loss  to  the 
cause  of  medical  journalism  in  Cincinnati. 

The  birth  of  medical  journalism  in  this  country  took  place  on  the  26th 
of  July,  1797,  when  the  first  issue  of  the  “New  York  Medical  Repository” 
appeared.  The  editors  were  Samuel  L.  Mitchill,  professor  of  natural  his- 
tory in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York;  Elihu  H. 
Smith,  of  Connecticut,  and  Edward  Miller,  of  Delaware.  The  second  Am- 
erican journal  was  started  by  the  distinguished  Benj.  S.  Barton,  of  Phila- 
delphia. Its  name  was  the  “Philadelphia  Medical  and  Physical  Journal.” 


481 


The  following  year  John  Redman  Coxe  started  the  “Philadelphia  Medical 
Museum.”  In  1811  the  “Philadelphia  Eclectic  Repertory”  was  started.  This 
journal  will  always  be  famous  because  it  published  (January,  1818,  Vol. 
Vni.,  No.  22,  p.  114),  the  account  of  the  first  ovariotomy  by  Ephraim 
jMcDowell.  After  1812  journals  started  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

The  first  beginnings  of  journalism  in  Cincinnati  are  thus  described  by 
Drake : 

“In  the  year  1818-T9,  I issued  proposals  for  a journal,  and  obtained  between  two 
and  three  hundred  subscribers ; but  other  duties  interfered  with  my  entering  on  its 
publication.  Immediately  after  resigning  the  professorship  of  surgery  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  my  gifted,  indefatigable,  and  lamented  friend,  the  late  Dr.  John  D. 
Godman,  determined  on  a similar  enterprise ; and,  in  March,  1882,  issued  the  first  number 
of  the  ‘Western  Quarterly  Reporter,’  of  which  Mr.  John  P.  Foote,  then  a bookseller 
and  cultivator  of  science,  was,  at  his  own  risk,  the  publisher.  Doctor  Godman,  at  the 
end  of  a year,  returned  to  the  East ; and,  with  the  sixth  number,  the  work  was  dis- 
continued.” 

Reference  to  Godman’s  work  as  a journalist  is  made  in  a previous  chap- 
ter. Drake  continues  as  follows : 

“Three  years  afterwards,  in  the  Spring  of  1826,  Dr.  Guy  W.  Wright  and  Dr. 
James  M.  Mason,  western  graduates,  commenced  a semi-monthly,  under  the  title  of  the 
‘Ohio  Medical  Repository.’  At  the  end  of  the  first  volume,  I became  connected  with 
it,  in  place  of  Doctor  Mason,  the  title  was  changed  to  the  ‘Western  Medical  and  Physical 
Journal,’  and  it  was  published  monthly.  At  the  end  of  the  first  volume  it  came  into  my 
exclusive  proprietary  and  editorial  charge,  and  was  continued  under  the  title  of  the 
‘Western  Journal  of  the  Medical  and  Physical  Sciences,’  with  the  motto,  at  that  time 
not  inappropriate,  of  'E  sylvis  nunciusf  My  first  editorial  associate  was  Dr.  James  C. 
Finley;  the  next,  Dr.  William  Wood,  then  Drs.  Gross  and  Harrison.  After  the  dis- 
solution of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College,  in  1839,  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  Louisville  on  my  appointment  there,  and  its  subscription  list  was  united  with 
that  of  the  ‘Louisville  Journal  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,’  begun  by  Professors  Miller 
and  Yandell,  and  Dr.  Th.  H.  Bell ; but  suspended  after  the  second  number.  The  title 
was  now  slightly  modified,  and  from  a quarterly  it  was  again  made  a monthly.” 

Its  new  name  was  the  “Western  Journal  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.” 
A strong  journal  was  started  in  Lexington  in  1828  under  the  name  of  the 
“Transylvania  Journal  of  Medicine  and  the  Associate  Sciences.”  It  was 
suspended  in  1839. 

In  1832  Professors  Eberle,  Mitchell  and  Goldsmith,  of  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio,  projected  a semi-monthly  under  the  title  of  the  “Western 
Medical  Gazette.”  It  was  suspended  after  nine  months,  but  shortly  after- 
wards revived  by  Silas  Reed  and  S.  D.  Gross  as  a monthly.  In  1835  it 
was  absorbed  by  the  “Western  Journal.”  James  M.  Mason,  in  the  same 
year,  tried  to  revive  the  “Ohio  Medical  Repository,”  but  abandoned  the 
work  after  a few  months. 

In  1842  the  “Western  Lancet”  (monthly)  was  begun  by  L.  M.  Lawson. 
It  continued  until  1858,  when  it  was  combined  with  the  “Medical  Observer” 


482 


(monthly)  which  had  been  started  in  1856  by  Geo.  Mendenhall,  John  A. 
Murphy  and  E.  S.  Stevens.  The  name  of  the  combined  journal  was  the 
“Lancet  and  Observer.”  In  1873  it  was  purchased  by  J.  C.  Culbertson,  who, 
in  1878,  acquired  control  of  the  “Clinic”  which  had  been  issued  as  a weekly 
since  1871  by  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio.  The  combination 
was  called  the  “Lancet  and  Clinic.”  A few  years  afterwards  (1886)  the 
name  was  hyphenated  (“Lancet-Clinic”).  After  J.  C.  Culbertson’s  retire- 
ment the  “Lancet-Clinic”  rapidly  lost  much  of  the  prestige  and  influence  its  long 
career  had  given  it.  In  1907  A.  G.  Kreidler  took  charge  of  the  asthenic 
survivor  of  an  honorable  past,  and,  by  dint  of  hard  work  and  great  enthu- 
siasm, has  tried  to  inject  new  life  into  what  seemed  a dead  issue.  No  man, 
similarly  situated,  has  ever  had  a greater  opportunity  offered  to  him  to  rob 
Daniel  Drake  of  his  laurels  as  a leader  and  teacher  of  men,  and  as  a champion 
of  intellectual,  moral  and  professional  progress.  The  chances  for  strong  and 
clean  medical  journalism  in  Cincinnati  were  never  better. 

Lawson,  the  founder  of  the  “Western  Lancet,”  in  184-1  began  the  pub 
lication  of  a monthly  journal  called  “Journal  of  Health.”  It  was  intended 
for  the  laity  and  contained  a wealth  of  information  along  hygienic  and 
dietetic  lines.  It  was  suspended  after  two  years. 

An  interesting  publication  was  the  “Psychological  Journal,”  edited  by 
Edward  Mead  (1853)  and  continued  for  one  year. 

A.  H.  Baker,  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery,  published  a monthly  journal  in  the  interests  of  his  school,  called 
“Cincinnati  Medical  News.”  It  began  in  1858  and  was  suspended  in  1863. 
After  the  second  year  it  was  called  “Cincinnati  Medical  and  Surgical  News.” 
The  Alumni  Association  of  the  same  institution  started  the  “Cincinnati  Med- 
ical Journal”  in  1885  and  published  it  as  a monthly  for  two  years.  C.  A.  L. 
Reed  was  the  editor.  The  latter  and  his  father,  R.  C.  S Reed,  had  pre- 
viously published  the  “Sanitary  News”  in  Hamilton,  Ohio.  In  1882  and 
1883  they  issued  it  from  the  college  building  as  “Clinical  Brief  and  Sanitary 
News.”  It  appeared  every  month  and  was  edited  by  the  two  Reeds,  and 
Drs.  Wm.  Judkins  and  Geo.  B.  Orr. 

The  “Cincinnati  Journal  of  Medicine”  was  begun  by  G.  C.  Blackman 
and  Th.  Parvin  in  1866  as  a monthly.  It  became  the  “Western  Journal  of 
Medicine”  after  Parvin’s  removal  to  Indianapolis,  and  was  published  in  the 
latter  city. 

The  “Cincinnati  Medical  Repertory”  was  started  by  John  A.  Thacker  in 
1868.  In  1872  its  name  was  changed.  It  continued  as  the  “Medical  News” 
until  1890  when  it  was  suspended. 

Beginning  in  1885  the  “Cincinnati  Medical  and  Dental  Journal”  was 
issued  every  month  by  Drs.  A.  B.  Thrasher  and  Erank  W.  Sage.  After 


483 


three  years  the  dental  feature  was  dropped  and  the  name  changed  to  “Cin- 
cinnati Medical  Journal.”  It  appeared  as  a monthly  and  was  abandoned 
in  1896. 

The  Obstetric  Gazette  (monthly)  was  started  in  1878  by  E.  B.  Stevens.  In 
1885  J.  C.  Culbertson  became  the  editor.  In  1890  it  was  discontinued. 

In  1890  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  began  the  publica- 
tion of  a monthly  called  “Journal  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,”  J.  M. 
French,  editor.  In  1892  it  became  the  “Ohio  Medical  Journal.”  It  did  not 
survive  long.  I 

The  “Woman’s  Medical  Journal”  is,  in  a way,  a Cincinnati  product.  Its 
owner  and  managing  editor  is  Margaret  Hackedorn  Rockhill,  wife  of  Dr. 
Chas.  S.  Rockhill.  The  journal,  a very  high-class  periodical,  is  published  in 
Toledo,  Ohio.  It  was  started  in  1891. 

The  “Journal  of  Comparative  Neurology”  was  edited  and  published  by 
C.  L.  Herrick.  It  appeared  in  1891.  After  the  first  year  the  place  of  pub- 
lication was  Granville,  Ohio. 

Homoeopathic  journalism  in  Cincinnati  began  in  1851  when  B.  Ehrmann, 
Adam  Miller  and  G.  W.  Bigler  established  the  “Cincinnati  Journal  of  Homoeo- 
pathy.” In  1852  Joseph  H.  Pulte  and  H.  P.  Gatchell  undertook  the  publica- 
tion of  the  “American  Magazine  of  Homoeopathy  and  Hydropathy.”  Neither 
journal  was  long-lived. 

In  1864  the  “American  Homoeopathist”  made  its  appearance  under  the 
editorial  management  of  Charles  Cropper.  In  1868  it  was  merged  into  the 
“Ohio  Medical  and  Surgical  Reporter”  (T.  P.  Wilson,  editor).  Doctor 
Wilson,  in  1873,  undertook  the  publication  of  the  “Cincinnati  Medical  Ad- 
vance” which  in  1886  was  moved  to  Ann  Arbor  and  continued  under  the 
title  of  the  “Ann  Arbor  Medical  Advance.” 

The  “Pulte  Quarterly”  was  started  in  1890,  Thomas  M.  Stewart,  editor. 
It  was  a college  journel  and  ran  through  three  and  a half  volumes. 

The  beginning  of  Eclectic  journalism  in  Cincinnati  was  coincident  with 
the  founding  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  When  Thomas  V.  Morrow 
came  to  Cincinnati  in  1842  he  brought  with  him  the  “Western  Medical  Re- 
former,” which  had  been  published  for  a number  of  years  at  Worthington, 
Ohio,  by  the  professors  of  the  Worthington  Medical  School,  the  predecessor 
of  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute.  In  1845  the  name  of  the  “Re- 
corder” was  changed  to  that  of  the  “Eclectic  Medical  Journal.”  Since  that 
time  it  has  been  published  under  the  new  name,  and  is  still  being  issued 
every  month.  Its  editors  have  been  the  teachers  of  the  institute.  In  the 


484 


fifties  and  sixties  it  evinced  considerable  vigor  and  journalistic  quality.  Men 
like  Newton,  Bickley  and  J.  M.  Scudder  knew  how  to  wield  the  pen  in  the 
interests  of  the  school. 

The  ‘‘Cincinnati  Herald  of  Health”  was  issued  by  John  King  and  J.  C. 
Thomas  in  1854.  It  was  a pretentious-looking  quarterly,  but  did  not  sur- 
vive the  first  year. 

The  secessionists  who  founded  the  “American  Medical  College”  in  the 
Cincinnati  College  building  in  opposition  to  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute, 
started  a monthly,  the  “American  Medical  Journal,”  which  for  innate  vigor 
and  aggressiveness  left  nothing  to  be  desired.  It  was  edited  by  T.  J.  Wright 
and  issued  every  month.  It  began  in  1856  and  lasted  until  the  end  of  1857 
when  it  was  merged  into  the  “College  Journal  of  Medical  Science,”  which 
the  faculty  of  the  Eclectic  College  of  Medicine  had  published  every  month 
in  1856  and  1857.  The  combined  journal  was  abandoned  in  1859  and  was 
followed  by  the  “Journal  of  Rational  Medicine,”  edited  by  C.  H.  Cleaveland, 
which  lasted  three  years,  when  its  publication  was  suspended.  R.  S.  Newton 
published  the  “Western  Medical  News”  from  1851  to  1859.  He  then  issued  a 
clinical  monthly,  called  the  “Express.”  In  conjunction  with  G.  W.  L. 
Bickley,  he  published  the  “Cincinnati  Eclectic  and  Edinburgh  Medical  Jour- 
nal.” After  a short  but  very  strenuous  existence  both  journals  were  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Eclectic  Medical  Journal.  A monthly  called  - “Journal  of 
Human  Science”  was  started  in  1860  by  W.  Byrd  Powell  and  J.  W.  Smith, 
but  abandoned  after  four  numbers.  All  these  journals  reflect  the  virility  and 
originality  of  the  men  who  edited  them.  The  spirit  of  belligerence  and  ab- 
solute fearlessness,  coupled  with  great  earnestness  in  medical  matters,  i:,  in 
strange  contrast  with  the  conciliatory,  suavity  which  seems  to  dominate  med- 
ical journalism  nowadays.  The  early  Eclectic  journals  are  invaluable  to  the 
student  of  medical  history,  because  they  reflect  many  curious  phases  in  the 
evolution  of  American  medicine.  A good  exponent  of  eclecticism  is  the  “Ec- 
lectic Medical  Gleaner,”  a monthly  which  began  in  1878  and  was  edited  by 
W.  E.  Bloyer  and  W.  C.  Cooper.  In  1904  it  became  a bi-monthly  under  the 
editorial  management  of  H.  W.  Eelter  and  J.  U.  Lloyd. 

The  so-called  “Physio-medics”  (botanical  practitioners,  steam  doctors) 
had  a few  journals  that  were  not  without  merit.  The  leader  of  the  school 
was  Alva  Curtis,  whose  great  ability  as  a writer  on  and  teacher  of  medicine 
has  never  been  questioned.  He  published  and  edited  the  “Botanico-Medical 
Recorder”  from  1837  to  1852.  It  had  previously  (since  1827)  been  issued 
in  Columbus,  Ohio.  As  a controversial  journalist  Curtis  was  facile  princeps 
among  his  contemporaries.  In  1852  the  name  of  the  journal  was  changed  to 
“Physio-Medical  Recorder.”  It  was  suspended  in  1880.  Curtis’s  associate 
was  Wm.  H.  Cook,  a more  amiable  gentleman  than  Curtis,  but  in  no  respect 
his  equal  intellectually.  After  the  suspension  of  the  “Recorder”  Cook  issued 


485 


the  “Cincinnati  Medical  Gazette  and  Recorder”  for  two  years.  It  was  a 
weak  effort  compared  to  the  picturesque  and  vigorous  literary  work  done 
by  the  fallen  leader,  (Curtis  died  in  1880).  The  “Journal  of  Medical  Re- 
form” (1854)  issued  for  one  year,  was  a well-edited  journal.  The  “Journal 
of  Education  and  of  Physiological  and  Medical  Reform”  did  not  survive 
its  first  year  (1866).  It  likewise  was  ably  conducted.  Curtis  was  the  editor 
of  both  journals.  In  1849  E.  H.  Stockwell,  professor  of  anatomy  in  the 
Physo-Medical  College,  started  the  “Physo-Medical  and  Surgical  Journal” 
in  opposition  to  Curtis  and  his  school.  This  journal  was  suspended  in  1852. 
The  editorial  rooms  of  this  publication  became  _ shortly  after  its  suspension 
the  home  of  the  newly  founded  Miami  Medical  College  (Eifth  and  Western 
Row). 

The  foregoing  account  of  medical  journalism  in  Cincinnati  corroborates 
the  truth  of  the  statement  that  the  life  of  the  profession  is  necessarily  re- 
flected in  the  journals.  They  are  the  record  of  its  pulse-wave,  the  indicators 
of  its  vitality.  The  palmy  days  of  medical  journalism  in  Cincinnati  were 
approximately  from  1855  to  1875.  They  were  coincident  with  the  aetas 
aurea  of  Medical  Cincinnati, — quod  erat  demonstrandum. 


486 


INDEX 


Adams,  John 


PAGE 

. 445 

Beck,  J.  C 

PAGE 

319 

. 29 

Beckwith,  D.  H 

387,  389 

, 184 

Beckwith,  S.  R 

389 

. 409 

Beebe,  Brooks  F 

253,  433 

. 475 

Beginnings  of  Medical 

Journalism  in 

Allison,  Richard 17,  29,  33,  34,  39,  128 

Almy,  S.  O 453 

American  Medical  Association 81,  168 

191,  194,  198,  255,  257,  313,  316,  328 

American  Medical  College 366,  485 

Amick,  M.  L 313,  318 

Amphitheater  of  Cincinnati  Hospital.  ..  410 
Amphitheater  of  Good  Samaritan  Hos- 
pital   417 

Anderson,  F.  B 318 

Andrews,  G.  W.  D 411 

Anthony,  Sister 413,  417,  418 

Armor,  S.  G 193,  220,  252,  436 

Arrison  Infernal  Machine 291 

“Athens  of  the  West” 44 

Aub,  Joseph 306,  314,  409 

Audubon,  J.  J 74 

Authors 475 

Avery,  Chas.  L 208,  274,  320,  336,  335 

Awl,  Wm.  M 176,  204,  434 

Ayers,  Howard, 250 

Ayres,  S.  C 253,  409 

Baehr,  E.  M 252 

Baker,  A.  H 48,  208,  236,  271 

289,  295,  296,  319,  323,  331,  483 

Baker’s  College  289 

Baldridge,  A,  H 366 

Baldwin,  Oliver  B 62 

Ball,  Flamen  210 

Barnes,  Wm 120 

Bartel,  John 420 

Bartholow,  Roberts 232,  248,  249 

252,  260,  271,  277,  288,  375,  409,  415,  475 

Barton,  B.  S 172 

Bates,  Caleb 88 

Baxley,  H.  Willis 91,  213,  218,  251,  252 

Bayless,  G.  W : 213,  216,  251 

Beach,  Wooster 357 

Beaumont,  William  8,  322 


this  country  481 

Bell,  John,  of  Edinburgh 50,  61 

Bell,  John,  of  Philadelphia,  213,  216,  252,  405 

Bender,  A.  D 423 

Bernard,  Claude 442,  449 

Best,  Robert 74,  119 

Bethesda  Hospital 431 

Betts  Street  Hospital, 

See  St.  Mary's  Hospital 

Bichat  72 

Bickley,  G.  W.  L 362,  364,  476 

Biddle,  John  265 

Bigelow,  Henry  Jacob 49 

Bigelow,  Jacob 155 

Bigney,  P.  M 415 

Billings,  John  S 116,  145,  247 

Blackburn,  John 33 

Blackman,  George  C....170,  210,  220 
227,  248,  252,  255,  263,  264,  274,  275, 

316,  405,  409,  412,  418,  422,  476 

Blennerism 18 

Bloyer,  W.  E 383,  485 

Boal,  Robert 88,  127 

Board  of  Health 86 

Bogus  Colleges , 117 

Bohrer,  Benj.  S 51,  117,  119,  123,  252 

Bonifield,  C.  L 253,  453 

Bonner,  Hugh,  Stephen  and  S.  P. ..108,  402 

Books,  List  of 475 

Botanical  System  of  Practice 110 

Bowles,  Thomas 383 

Bradburn,  John 33 

Bradbury,  Edw.  H 401 

Bradford,  T.  C 387 

Brainard,  Daniel  170 

Bramble,  D.  D 271,  310,  318,  319,  411 

Branch  Hospital 405 

Brown,  James 50 

Brown,  M.  A 335 


487 


Brown,  Samuel  46,  47,  51 

Brown-Sequarcl  451 

Brown,  T.  Louis  285 

Brnehl,  Gnstav  103,  422,  455 

Brnnning,  F 91,  455 

Buchanan,'  J.  R 359,  476 

Buchanan,  Joseph  96 

Buck,  Chas.  R 391 

Buckeye-bowl  60 

Buck,  J.  D 382,  386,  387,  390,  391 

Buckner,  E 271,  319 

Buckner,  Jas.  H.,  306,  307,  309,  318,  423,  453 

Buckner,  Ph.  J 308,  436 

Bunker,  W.  H 424 

Bunte,  F 98 

Burdsal,  James  . . 88 

Burnet,  Jacob  128 

Burnet,  Isaac  G 87 

Burnet,  David  28,  118 

Burnet,  Wm. 28 

Burnham,  Walter 377 

Burke,  Wm 124 

Butler,  Joseph  C 248,  413,  419 

Caesarean  Section  122,  460 

Caldwell,  Charles 46,  198,  204 

Caldwell,  C.  E 318,  335 

Campbell,  J.  B 112,  113 

Canal  Routes  traced  by  Drake 42  . 

Canby,  Dr 121 

Carey,  Milton  T 220 

Carmichael,  John  31 

Carothers,  R 253 

Carrick,  A.  L 415 

Carr,  Lawrence  C 317,  319,  455 

Carroll,  Thomas 271,  305,  306,  319,  453 

Carson,  Arch.  1 409 

Carson,  William  408,  409,  410,  453 

Chamberlin,  E.  K 208 

Chapman,'C.  B 91,  318,  333,  335,  340 

Chapman,  Nathaniel, 

164,  196,  198,  217,  328,  457 

Chapman,  Wm.  B 89,  90,  91 

Chase,  Salmon  P.  338,  379 

Chitwood,  G,  R 319 

Cholera  Controversy  (1848) 115 

Christ  Hospital 427 

Christopher,  W.  S 286,  287 

Cilley,  J.  L 251,  258,  283,  295 

Cincinnati  College 182 

Cincinnati  College,  Medical  Department 

of  182 

Cincinnati  College  of  Dental  Surgery..  295 


Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 

Surgery 210,  289,  429 

Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy 89 

Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute..  357 
Cincinnati  Eye  Infirmary.  (1827)  . .58  186 

Cincinnati  Hospital  405 

Cincinnati  Law  School 181 

Cincinnati  Medical  and  Surgical  Col- 
lege   289 

Cincinnati  Medical  Association 96 

Cincinnati  Medical  Institute 208 

Cincinnati  Medical  Journal  and  Library 

Club 454 

Cincinnati  Medical  Library  Associa- 
tion   77,  442 

Cincinnati  Medical  Society  (1819)....  43r 
Cincinnati  Medical  Society  (1831)....  439 
Cincinnati  Medical  Society  (1851)....  443 
Cincinnati  Medical  Society  (1874) ...  .454 

Cincinnati  Sanitarium  432 

Cist,  Charles  95 

City  Dispensary  (1844) 203 

Civiale,  Prof 149 

Clark,  H.  A 252,  283 

Clay,  Henry 150,  151,  194 

Cleaveland,  C.  H 360,  363,  367,  476 

Clendenin,  Wm..  .9J,  333,  335,  340,  341,  409 

Cleveland,  John  C 276,  423,  453 

Cleveland  Medical  College 211 

Cobb,  Jedediah 58,  116,  124,  125,  144 

152,  192,  204,  205,  251,  252 

Cobb,  Wm.  H 223 

Code  of  Ethics 177 

Code  of  Medical  Police  (1821) 96 

Colescott,  Thos.  W 206 

College  of  Teachers 60 

Columbia  College 85 

Comegys,  C.  G 116,  169,  208,  248 

252,  256,  318,  320,  333,  335,  415,  409 

423,  425,  453,  476 

Commercial  Hospital 51,  398 

Condie,  D.  F 217 

Cone,  Stephen  E 453 

Conner,  P.  S 82,  163,  165,  231,  248 

249,  251,  252,  257,  270,  274,  291,  319 

409,  45.3 

Converse,  Charles  C 289 

Cook,  Jesse  W 91 

Cooke,  John  Esten  204 

Cooke.  N.  F 387 

Cook,  Wm.  ?1 in,  112,  476,  485 

Cooper,  C.  N 391 


488 


Cooper,  Sir  Astley 165,  169 

Cooper,  W.  C 469,  476 

Corry,  Wm 128 

Corry,  Wm.  M 404 

Coxe,  John  Redman 482 

Cox,  Hiram 366 

Crane,  Wm.  H 252,  453 

Crank,  C.  D 391 

Cranmer,  John 29,  32 

Crawford,  John  M 472 

Cropper,  Charles  387 

Cross,  James  C., 

58,  139,  146,  150,  152,  157,  252,  357 

Crume,  Pliny  M 291,  297,  319 

Culbertson,  Jas.  C 312,  315,  319,  347,  409 

Cummins,  David  28 

Cunningham,  Wm 395 

Curran,  Robert  299,  318 

Curtis,  Alva 110,  111,  115,  205,  398,  401 


Dabney,  Chas.  W 251 

DaCosta,  J.  M 190,  266 

Dandridge,  A.  S 348,  354 


Dandridge,  N.  P., 

335,  348,  354,  409,  423,  453 
Dartmouth  Medical  School, 

85,  117,  163,  170,  214 


Davey,  R.  P) 318 

Davies,  Sam.  N 124,  128,  130 

Davis,  John, 

316,  320,  325,  326,  335,  401,  409,  453 

Davis,  Wm.  B 335,  348,  349 

Dawson,  John 256 

Dawson,  W.  W.  .208,  210,  247,  249,  251 

252,  256,  258,  269,  274,  291,  318,  409,  453 

Death,  Absolom 411 

DeBeck,  David  211,  453 

DeBeck,  William  21] 

Decadence  of  medical  education 250 

DeCourcy,  Wm.  E 419,  420 

Delamater,  John 153,  170,  214 

Denman,  Matthias  26 

Dickore,  Wm 319,  335,  354 

Diplomas  given  by  Dr.  Goforth 23,  24 

Dissections  legalized  395 

District  Societies  85 

Doane,  Wm 145 

Dodge,  Israel 402,  415,  444 

Dorfeuille,  J.  74,  466 

Downes,  Chas.  A.  256 

Drake,  Amanda  V^irginia  193 

Drake.  An  Appreciation 82 

Drake  as  a medical  author 71 


PAGE 

Drake  as  a medical  student 15 

Drake  as  a medical  teacher 44 

Drake  as  a patriot 43 

Drake  as  a physician  and  public  man,  36 

Drake,  Benjamin  27 

Drake,  Charles  D 10 

Drake,  Cornelius  12,  16 

Drake,  Death  of  Mrs 57 

Drake,  Isaac 8,  10,  13,  15,  23 

Drake,  John  12,  13 

Drake  lecturing  at  Jefferson  Medical 

College  59,  134 

Drake  on  Intemperance 76 

Drake’s  book  on  Asiatic  Cholera 77 

Drake’s  childhood  7 

Drake’s  Discourses  77 

Drake’s  expulsion  (1822) 122 

Drake’s  “Farewell  Song”  (1835) 435 

Drake’s  ideas  about  therapeutics 76 

Drake’s  last  illness  69 

Drake’s  “Miami  Faculty” 59,  133 

Drake’s  monument  in  Spring  Grove.  . 70 

Drake’s  personal  appearance 66 

Drake’s  residence  in  1850 68,  350 

Drake’s  return  (1849) 66 

Drake’s  serious  illness 58 

Drake’s  Treatise  on  the  Diseases  of  the 
Interior  Valley  of  North  America.  78 

Drake’s  versatility  71 

Drake’s  writings,  list  of 476 

Drug  stores  in  1819 88 

Drury,  Alexander  G., 

184,  253,  276,  453,  463 

Drury,  Rev.  Asa 184 

Dudley,  Benj.  W., 

8,  44,  47,  67,  136,  139,  150,  206,  307 

Dudley,  Wm.  L 335,  353 

Dunglison,  Robley 60,  132 

Dunlavy,  John  C 76,  121 

Dyer,  Daniel  120 

Early  Medical  Annals  of  Cincinnati...  26 

Eberle,  John 9,  59,  101,  131,  134,  135 

136,  145,  189,  197,  252,  257,  367,  405,  47  7 

Eclectic  College  of  Medicine 368 

Eclectic  Journals  484 

Eclectic  Medical  Institute 205,  357 

Edmiston,  Dr 121 

Educational  standard  of  pioneer-teach- 
ers   99 

Edwards,  Thos.  O., 

154,  199,  207,  209,  213,  218,  402,  404 

Ehrmann,  Benj 386,  388 

Ehrmann,  Isidorich  389 


489 


PAGE 

Eichberg,  Joseph ...  .335,  352,  355,  409,  453 

Eichberg,  Julius  335 

Eliott,  John 31 

Episcopal  Church  in  Cincinnati 41 

Epstein,  Ephraim  M 454 

Este,  David  K 124 

Evans,  Asbury  219,  230,  252,  402 

Everts,  Orpheus  474 

Eackler,  Geo.  A 295,  336,  409  453 

Earewell  Song  (Drake) 435 

Eehrenbatch,  John  411 

Felter,  H.  W 36,  83,  363,  367,  374 


379,  473,  477,  485 


Eennel,  Adolph  89,  90 

Fennel,  Chas.  T.  P 477 

Ferguson,  James  21 

Fergusson,  Sir  William 228 

Filson,  John  26,  27 

Findley,  W.  T 391 

Finley,  James  C 76 

Fischbach,  F.  W 39t 

Foltz,  K.  0 370,  381,  477 

Fishburn,  Cyrus  D 104,  105 


Foote,  H.  E 158,  252,  320,  333,  335 


336,  340,  346,  401,  409,  412 

Foote,  John  P., 

51,  73,  116,  138,  152,  211,  336 

Forchheimer,  Fred 252,  284,  409,  477 

Foreign-born  physicians  97 

Fort  Washington  27,  32 

Foster,  Nathaniel  108,  415 

Foundling  Asylum  419 

Francis  Joseph,  Emperor 365 

Frank,  J.  Th 102 

Franklin,  Benjamin  85 

Frederick  William  IIT 384 

Freeman,  E 370,  379 

Freeman,  Leonard  295,  362 

Freeman,  Zoheth  362,  364 

Free  Medical  Schools 212 

Freiberg,  A.  H 253 

French,  Jas.  M 286,  287,  423,  453,  477 

Fries,  Geo 100,  236,  237,  422 

Fuller,  George  W 477  . 

Funck,  C.  J 252 

Gamble  Family  427,  428 

Gano,  John  S 10,  16 

Gans,  D.  S 101 

Gatchell,  H.  P 364,  387 

Gerhard,  W.  W 217 

Geiser,  S.  R 391,  432 

Geohegan,  W.  A 391 

German  Deaconesses’  Hospital 426 


PAGE 

German  Methodist  Deaconesses’  Hos- 

piFil  431 

German  Physicians  99 

Gerwe,  F.  A.  J 102 

Ghouls  392 

Gibson,  Wm 9 

Gillespie,  Wm 453 

Gobrecht,  Wm.  H., 

248,  251,  256,  258,  270,  477 

Godman,  John  D 72,  117,  120  252 

Goforth,  William, 

10,  15,  16,  19,  22,  23,  25,  32,  33,  34,  393 

Golder,  Louise  431 

Goldsmith,  Alban, 

146,  148,  152,  165,  186,  200,  252 

Goode,  B.  P 319,  455 

Good  Samaritan  Hospital 109,  415 

Gordon’s  Hall  89,  368 

Gordon,  Thomas  W 291,  299 

Gordon,  W.  J.  M 89,  382 

Gotwald,  G.  A 314 

Graefe,  A v 344 

Graff,  M.  B 311,  453 

Graham,  James 210,  235,  248,  252 

274„  290,  319,  409,  453 

Grandview  Sanitarium  433 

Greenwood,  M.  H 426 

Gregory  XVI 357 

Greiwe,  J.  E 253,  409,  453 

Grimm,  A 423 

Groesbeck,  Wm,  S 240 

Gross,  Samuel  D 7,  14,  52,  65,  73,  76, 

82,  101,  118,  126,  146,  157,  169,  185 
188,  193,  229,  230,  235,  255,  330,  344 


436,  477 

Grubbs,  James  T 120 

Guert,  Joseph  128 

Guilford,  Nathan  124 

Gunn,  Moses  221 

Haacke,  Henry 474 

Hahnemann,  Samuel  83,  384 

Halcyon  days  of  medical  education  in 

Cincinnati  249 

Hale,  Nathan  83 

Hall,  Marshall  444 

Hall,  Rufus  B 335.  353,  433,  453 

Halstead,  Murat  385 

Hamilton  County  Medical  Association.  440 

Hamilton  County  Medical  Club 441 

Hare,  Robert  202 

Harmon,  Frank  W 434 

Harrison,  Benjamin  397 

Harrison,  John  Scott 396 


490 


TAGE 

Harrison,  John  P 76,  115,  136,  139 

154,  196,  252,  278,  357,  405,  436,  477 


Harrison,  J.  S 319 

Harrison,  Wm.  H., 

23,  31,  89,  118,  124,  143,  184,  307 

Hartshorn,  D.  H 387,  390 

Harvard  Medical  School 85 

Hawkins,  Joseph  S 297 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B 339 

Hays,  Isaac  M 191 

Hazard,  J.  H 318 

Heady,  J.  F 336 

Hempstead,  G.  S.  B 97.  121 

Hendley,  Frank  W 411 

Henry,  John  F., 

133,  134,  135,  143,  146,  253,  477 

Hering,  Constantine  384 

Herzog,  Maximilian  473 

Hibberd,  J.  F 247,  252,  254 

Hicks,  Braxton  177 

Hier,  Wm.  G 391 

Hill,  Benjamin  L 366,  477 

Hiller,  G.  A 89 

Hill,  Thomas  94 

Hinckley,  H.  D 318,  319 

Hinde,  Thomas  106 

Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of 

Ohio  48 

Hoadly,  George  368 

Hoffmann,  Friedrich  198 

Holdt,  Georg 105,  106,  409 

Hole,  John  27,  28 

Holland,  James  W 264 

Holt,  Oliver  P 335,  356,  409 

Hombiirg,  F lOo 

Homburg,  J.  C 99 

Home  for  Incurables 432 

Homoeopathic  journals  484 

Homoeopathy  in  1848 115 

Homoeopathy  in  Cincinnati 384 

Hoppe,  H.  H ..253,  409 

Horn,  B.  Van 383 

Horner,  Wm.  Edmonds 330 

Hosack,  David  7 

Hospitals  398 

Hospital  Staff  409 

Hotel  for  Invalids 411 

Hough,  Isaac  120 

Hough,  J.  B 335,  350,  352,  473 

Howell,  Martha  M 426 

Howitt,  Mary  416 

Hoyt,  J.  Wesley 363,  364 

Hudson,  J.  Q.  A 270 


PAGE 

Humboldt,  A.  V 82 

Hunt,  William  H 387 

Hyndman,  Jas.  G 252,  284,  286,  453 

Inaugural  Theses  460 

Isham,  A.  B 318,  319,  453 

Jameson,  Horatio  B 185,  194,  201 

James,  Thomas  C 164 

Jeancon,  J.  A 380,  478 

Jefferson  Medical  College 212,  248,  270 

Jewish  Hospital  425 

Johnson,  B.  F 366 

Johnson,  A.  M 452 

Johnson,  Frank  W 433 

Johnson,  L.  M 94 

Jones,  A.  E 465,  466 

Jones,  Ichabod  G 359,  360,  478 

Jones,  H.  M 411 

Jones,  L.  E 366,  367,  478 

Judge,  J.  F 90,  91,  335,  353 

Judkins,  C.  P 325 

Judkins,  David  325,  423 

Judkins,  Jesse  P 91,  247,  251,  256 

320,  324,  326,  333,  401 
Judkins,  William  (Quaker  doctor), 

324,  325,  436 

Judkins,  William  Jr 318,  325,  483 

Juettner,  Otto  478 

Junkerman,  G.  S 295 

Karrmann,  Wm.  89 

Kearney,  Thomas  H., 


335,  349,  352,  401,  409,  415 

Kearns,  Charles  91,  257 

Kebler,  Fred 285,  286,  409,  423,  453 

Keckeler,  A.  T 365 

Kemper  College  Medical  School 211 

Kemper,  Edward  Y.  87 

Kemper,  Rev.  James 184 

Keyt,  A.  T 463,  478 

Kiely,  Wm.  E 295,  319,  453 

Kilbourne,  James  366 

King,  John  362,  364,  373,  478 

Kilgour,  P.  T 391 

King’s  College  85 

Kirk,  Ellen  M 426 

Kirtland,  J.  P 153,  171,  252,  436 

Kramer,  Francis  423 

Kreider,  Z 145 

Kreidler,  A.  G 483 

Lamb,  Frank  H 335 

Lancaster,  Joseph  41 

Lancaster  Seminary  41,  47,  182 

Langdon,  F.  W 335,  343,  409,  433,  453 

Langdon,  Oliver  .M 324,  402,  424 


491 


PAGE 

Langenbeck,  Carl  335,  354 

Laporte  University,  Medical  Depart- 
ment   211 

Latta,  Samuel  A 115 

Laura  Memorial  College 295,  429 

Lawson,  B.  S 48,  236,  271,  290,  296 

298,  319,  401 

Lawson,  L.  M 163,  213,  215,  247 

252,  256,  402,  405,  478,  483 

Lea,  John  115 

Lewis,  W.  E 318,  335,  343 

Library  of  Cincinnati  Hospital.... 410 

Library  Society  41 

Lincoln  Memorial  Hospital 433 

Lizars,  John,  Mr 234 

Lloyd,  J.  U.  .303,  370,  374,  375,  382,  478,  485 

Locke,  F.  J 379,  479 

Locke,  John 116,  153,  154,  155,  211 

252,  321,  329,  479 

Loescher,  Emil  387 

Longview  Asylum  423 

Longworth,  Landon  R 251,  275,  282 

Longworth,  Nicholas  124,  184 

Losantiville  26 

Louisville  Medical  Institute, 

67,  147,  149,  204,  211 

Ludlow,  Charlotte  30 

Ludlow  Mansion  35 

Lyle,  B.  F 253,  405 

Lytle,  Gen.  Wm 109 

Lytle  House  109,  416 

Mackenzie,  J.  C 335,  348,  351,  409,  411 

Maley,  Patrick  F 452 

Malsbary,  George  E 479 

Mansfield,  Edward  D 9,  58,  61,  69,  82 

Mansfield,  Jared  35 

Marshall,  N.  T 216,  226,  253 

Martin,  Joshua  146 

Martin,  W.  A 318 

Mason,  James  M 75 

Matthews,  Hon.  Stanley 234,  289 

McClellan,  George... 59,  132,  133,  139,  142 

McClure,  Robert  29 

McCormick,  A.  L 391 

McCormick,  Ida  E 391 

McDonald,  Alexander  429 

McDo'well,  Ephraim, 


9,  46,  50,  61,  83,  149,  192,  218,  234 
McDowell,  Jos.  N., 

133,  185,  192,  220,  352,  393 


McGuffey,  Alexander  61.,  69,  350 

McGuffey,  Wm.  H 184 


,,  -1  • PAGE 

Mcilvame,  Robert  R 271,  291,  318 

402,  404,  442,  444,  448,  452,  453 

McKee,  E.  S 459 

McKinley,  President  83,  272 

McKnight,  Charles  

McLean,  George  M 319 

McLean,  T.  E.  H 411 

McMechan,  Jas.  C 282,  423,  456 

McMicken,  Charles  25,  331 

Mead,  Edward  290,  298,  319 

Mears,  George  W 122 

Medical  Academy  of  Cincinnati  (1831),  440 

Medical  authors  and  journalists 457 

Medical  College  of  Evansville 212 

Medical  College  of  Ohio  : 

(1819-1830)  117 

(1830-1840)  133 

(1840-1860)  204 

(1860-1909)  247 

x\cts  of  the  Legislature 128 

Charter  49 

College  edifice  erected  in  1827....  129 
College  edifice  erected  in  1852....  209 

Final  decadence 253 

Greatest  Faculty  of  the  Institution,  248 
Homes  of  the  school  during  the 

^ first  decade  126 

List  of  professors ; . . .252,  253 

Minutes  of  the  first  Faculty  meet- 
ing   51 

Drake’s  Valedictory  at  first  com- 
mencement   52 

Medical  controversy  in  the  public  press,  62' 
Medical  Department  of  Laporte  Uni- 
versity   211 

Medical  Department  of  Miami  Univer- 
sity   136 

Medical  Department  of  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, Delaware,  Ohio 207 

Medical  education  discussed  by  Drake, 

76,  399 


Medical  Education  discussed  by  God- 


man  75 

Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati 208 

Medical  instruction  in  Cincinnati  be- 
fore 1819  45 

Medical  journals  481 

Medical  legislation  85,  114 

Medical  politicians,  types  of 180 

Medical  practice  in  early  Cincinnati,  87,  97 

Medical  societies  433 

Medical  students  in  1821 130 

Medico-Chirurgical  Society  (1820)....  437 


492 


PAGE 

Medico-Chirurgical  Society  ( 1848)....  441 

Meigs,  Charles  D 82 

Memphis  Medical  Institute 151,  357 

Mendenhall,  George.  . . .91,  208,  253,  256 

320,  326,  327,  333,  335,  347,  409,  412,  479 

Merrell,  W.  S 88,  360,  373,  381 

Methodist  Deaconesses’  Hospital  427 

Methodist  Medical  College 207 

Miami  Medical  College, 

210,  320,  333,  430,  486 

Miami  Purchase  26 

Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio.... 59,  133 

Mighels,  J.  W 319 

Miles,  A.  J.. : 319,  401 

Miller,  C.  A 424 

Miller,  B.  F 409 

Miller,  Henry  204 

Millikin,  Dan... 335,  352,  354 

Minor,  Thomas  C 278,  336,  382,  466,  479 

Mitchell,  E.  W 335,  353,  409,  453 

Mitchell,  Giles  S 282,  310,  319 

Mitchell,  Ormsby  M 184,  338 

Mitchell,  Thomas  D...59,  133,  138,  140 

189,  192,  252,  357,  405 

Mitchill,  Samuel  L 481 

Monett,  Samuel  120 

Montague,  Mary  33 

Aloorhead,  John 61,  87,  108,  109,  124 

127,  135,  144,  152,  176,  241,  252,  253,  405 

Morell,  Calvin  28 

Morgan,  John  85 

Morse,  John  F 289 

Morrow,  Thos.  V..  .357,  359,  360,  393,  484 

Morton,  W.  T.  G 415 

Mott,  Valentine 9,  191 

Mount  Poverty 42 

Mount,  Wm 207,  245,  246,  424 

Mumford,  Jas.  G 82 

Muehlberg,  Wm 251 

Mundhenk,  Wm 97 

Mundy,  W.  N ? . . . 383 

Murphy,  J.  A 208,  210,  320,  326, 

329,  333,  334,  335,  347,  401,  409,  412,  450 

Murphy,  W.  E 336 

Murphy,  J.  W 336 

Mnscroft,  Chas.  S 274,  409,  423,  453 

Mussey,  R.  D 92,  115,  153,  162,  174 

205,  208,  214,  219,  229,  252,  274,  275 

320,  322,  335,  363,  405,  428,  436,  479 
Mussey,  Wm.  H. 

333,  335,  337,  340,  409,  412,  415 

Napoleon  HI,  Emperor 365 

Newton,  R.  S.  .360,  362,  367,  479 


Newton,  Susie  30 

Nickles,  Samuel,  248,  252,  268,  286,  453,  479 

Norton,  O.  D 415 

Norton,  S.  A 335 

“Notices  of  Cincinnati”  (Drake) 37 

Oath  of  Hippocrates,  modernized 322 

Oberdorf,  E.  J.  C 98 

Oberdorf,  Franz 97,  105 

Obstetrical  Society  of  Cincinnati 456 

Ohio  College  of  Dental  Surgery 91 

Ohio  Hospital  for  Women  and  Chil- 
dren   426 

Ohio  Medical  Lyceum  (1832)  440 

Ohio  State  Medical  Society.... 436 

O’Leary,  Charles  247,  252 

“Old  Cunny”  395 

Oliver,  Daniel  164,  213,  214.  252 

Oliver,  J.  C 335,  409,  428 

Ophthalmic  Hospital  433 

Organizations  434 

Orr,  Geo.  B 317,  319,  453,  483 

Orr,  Thos.  J 317 

Osborn,  Mary  E 428,  430 

Owens,  W 386,  387,  389 

Paddock,  J.  R 336 

Palmer,  C.  D 248,  253,  280,  286,  45^ 

Pan-American  Congress 313 

Parker,  Willard, 

65,  185,  199,  206,  227,  322,  436 
Parvin,  Theophilus, 

248,  252,  2.53,  258,  259,  316 

Patterson,  J.  P 319 

Patterson,  Robert  26 

Paul,  M.  W 100 

Peach  Grove  30,  33 

Perrine,  W.  K 350 

Pest  House  405 

Phelps,  A.  V 251 

Phillipps,  Lincoln  391 

Phillips,  Joseph  31 

Physicians  as  public  men 116 

Physicians’  fees  88,  96 

Physicians  in  1819  86 

Physick,  P.  S 9,  23,  164,  172 

Physio-Medicalism  110 

Physio-medical  Colleges  Ill,  205 

Physio-medical  Journals  484 

Pickett,  Albert  60 

“Picture  of  Cincinnati”  (Drake) 37 

Pierson,  C.  E 96,  130,  252 

Pierson,  Ebenezer  H 128,  131 

Pinkerton,  Lewis  L 319 

Pinkney,  T.  A 319 


493 


PAGE 

Pioneer  Druggists,  90 

^‘Pioneer  Life  in  Kentucky’’  10 

Podophyllin,  discovery  of 374,  381 

Pius  IX,  421 

Pollock,  George,  Mr  228 

Poole,  A.  C 252 

Pope,  Chas.  A 170,  188 

Population  of  Cincinnati  in  1819  80 

Porter,  W.  D 33G 

Potter,  J.  F 91,  415 

Powell,  Harrison  47 

Powell,  W.  Byrd  362,  365,  370,  479 

Presbyterian  Hospital  428 

Presbyterian  Hospital  Woman’s  Medi- 
cal College  429 

Private  Medical  Schools  208 

Protestant  Episcopal  Free  Hospital  for 

Children  432 

Pulte  Hospital  432 

Pulte,  J.  A 115 

Pulte,  Joseph  H 115,  385,  386,  479 

Pulte  Medical  College 384 

Purcell,  J.  B.,  Bishop 61,  412,  421 

Quacks  and  Quackery  92 

Quinn,  J.  J 422,  423,  424 

Rachford,  B.  K 252,  479 

Rafinesque,  C.  S 110,  457 

Ramsey,  Samuel  34,  128 

Ransohoff,  Joseph  . .251,  252,  272,  285,  453 

Ravogli,  August 471,  479 

Ray,  Joseph  ’ 116 

Reamy,  T.  A. 

174,  249,  253,  256,  258,  274,  280, 

281,  291,  310,  319,  324,  431,  452,  453 

Rea,  Robert  L 242,  401 


Reed,  C.  A.  L 241,  253,  294,  295 

312,  313,  319,  479,  483 
Reed,  R.  C.  Stockton, 


271,  294,  311,  312,  319,  409, 

Reed,  R.  G 

Reemelin,  E.  B 

Reeve,  J.  C 231,  252,  254, 

Reformed  Medical  College  (New 


York)  

Reid,  Mary  E 

Reilly,  W.  F 

■‘‘Resurrectionists”  

Richardson,  B.  F 333,  335,  340, 

Richardson,  Wm.  H 

Richards,  Wolcott  69, 

Richmond,  John  L 121,  174, 

Ricketts,  B.  M 473, 

Riddell,  John  Leonard  186, 


483 

391 

252 

255 

357 

479 

391 

392 
347 

58 

444 

460 

480 
202 


Ridgeley,  Wm.  S 59 

“Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Medical  College 

of  Ohio”  (Drake)  122 

Risk,  J.  B.  A 296,  304,  319 

Rives,  Edward  252,  275,  282 

Rives,  Landon  C.174,  185,  198,  226,  253,  275 

Rives,  Wm.  C 199 

Rockhill,  M.  H.  and  C.  S 484 

Roelker,  Eriedrich  100,  105,  262 

Rogers,  Coleman  45,  46,  50 

Rogers,  Henry  D 202 

Rogers,  Jas.  B 65,  185,  201 

Rogers,  M 9l 

Rogers,  Robert  E 202 

Rogers,  William  B 202 

Rosa,  Storm  361,  384 

Rothacker,  W.  A 306,  310,  318,  480 

Rowe,  J.  W 253,  480 

Rush,  Benjamin 7,  17,  20 

33,  75,  83,  '137,  140,  164,  172,  457 

Rush  Medical  College 212,  248 

Russell,  L.  E 383 

Ruter,  Martin,  Rev  124,  128 

Saal,  G . ..  .387,  389 

Sage,  Geo.  R 387 

Samson,  E.  B 335,  354 

Sanders,  John  M 366 

Sanitary  Laws  (1802) 86 

Sargeant,  1 120 

Sattler,  Eric  E 480 

Sattler,  Robert 347,  409,  433 

Saunders,  Richard  W 267 

Sayler,  Nelson  252,  262,  283 

Schenck,  W.  E 453 

Schneider,  C.  A 100,  102,  105 

Schoenlein,  Prof 384 

Schroeder,  J.  Henry 480 

Schwartz,  David  411 

ScLidder,  John  K 383 

Scudder,  John  M 368,  369,  370,  480 

Seely,  W.  W.  . .248,  256,  258,  269,  274,  453 

Sellman,  John  29,  30,  32,  87,  96 

Seton  Hospital  420,  429 

Seton,  Mother  E.  A 411 

Shaller,  J.  M 318 

Shelton,  Dr 95 

Sherwood,  William  366,  480 

Shields,  E.  H 335 

Shippen,  Wm 85 

Shotwell,  John  T 91,  115,  151, 

153,  169,  181,  176,  204,  219,  244,  251 

252,  336,  392 

Silliman,  B 82 


PAGE 

Sims,  Marion  169 

Sisson,  Caroline  S 58 

Sisson,  Harriett  36 

Sisters  of  Charity  294,  411,  429 

Sisters  of  the  Poor  of  St.  Francis  . . 421 

Skinner,  J.  Sidney  290,  319 

Slack,  Elijah 45,  46,  47,  48,  50,  91 

117,  122,  124,  134,  175,  184,  252,  291 

Slavery,  Drake’s  Letters  on  42 

Sloan.  Herbert  E 383 

Slosson,  M.  H 387 

Smith,  Alban  G.  — see  Goldsmith,  Alban 

Smith,  C.  August  89 

Smith,  C.  G 283 

Smith,  Elijuh  H 7,  481 

Smith,  E.  0 453 

Smith,  Erancis  G 78 

Smith,  H.  A 92 

Smith,  Jesse 96,  117,  118,  120,  123 

124,  134,  145,  251,  252,  405 

Smith,  Joseph  Byrd  208,  336 

Smith,  Nathan  •• 7,  155,  162 

Smith,  Peter  94,  458,  480 

Smith,  Pulaski  88 

Smith,  S.  Hanbury 78 

Smith,  W.  H 391 

Snow,  Henry  391 

Soda  Eountain  (in  Drake’s  store) 40 

Solidism  in  therapeutics  198 

Southern  Railway  42 

“Specific  Medication”  371 

Speer’s  Memorial  Hospital  432 

Spencer,  J.  R 383 

Spencer,  Oliver  M 124,  128 

Spencer,  R.  A 290,  318 

Spencer,  Robert  318 

Sphygmograph  464 

Springer,  Reuben 25,  239,  421 

Stagg,  Isaac  182 

Stallo,  J.  B 364,  365,  366 

Stanton,  Byron 335,  351,  352,  453 

Starling  Medical  College  212 

State  Conventions  434 

Staughton,  James  M., 

59,  133,  142,  145,  252,  405 

St.  Clair,  Arthur 27,  29,  86 

Steam-doctors  Ill 

St.  Elizabeth’s  Hospital  42],  432 

Stevens  E.  B.  . .316,  333,  335,  347,  348,  452 

Stewart,  Thos.  M 391,  484 

St.  Francis’  Hospital  422,  432 

Stille,  Alfred  81 

Stites,  John  20,  33 

495 


PAGE 

St.  John’s  Hotel  for  Invalids 412,  414 

St.  Joseph’s  Maternity  Hospital  420 

St.  Luke’s  Hospital  415 

St.  Martin,  Alexis 8,  322 

St.  Mary’s  Hospital 421 

Stone,  Ethan  124,  128,  156 

Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher  60,  165,  412 

Stowe,  Prof 165,  166 

Strieker,  Louis  472,  480 

Strong,  David  27 

Strong,  Jos 31 

Stuntz,  Chauncey  R 319 

Sturm,  Wilhelm  384,  386 

St.  Xavier  College  366,  424 

Superintendents  of  Cincinnati  Hospital  411 

Symmes,  John  Cleves  26 


Taft,  Jonathan  92,  480 

Talliaferro  (Taliaferro)  W.  F., 

216,  226,  306,  307,  412 

Tangeman,  C.  W 336 

Tate,  John  H.  . .241,  252,  319,  401,  410,  453 

Tate,  Magnus  A 242,  335,  453 

Taylor,  James  91 

Taylor,  W.  H 82,  174,  259,  333, 

335,  350,  352,  401,  409,  454 

Temperance  speech  by  Drake 58 

Telford,  Charles  L.  . .’ 184 

Tellkampf,  Th.  A ...  98 

Thacker,  J.  A., 

294,  296,  315,  319,  409,  452,  483 

Theses,  99,  121,  460 

Thomas,  Chas.  F 319,  415 

Thomas,  Gen.  Geo.  H 342 

Thomas,  Rolla  L 383,  480 

Thompson,  J.  A 335 

Thompson,  Robert  145,  177,  204  207 

Thomson,  Samuel  64,  110 

Thorner,  Max  312,  317,  457 

Thornton,  W.  P 296,  310,  318,  409 

Thorpe,  Juliet  M 428,  430 

Thrasher,  A.  B 483 

Tibbetts,  Jeremiah  87 

Tomlinson,  S.  B.  243 

Transylvania  University, 

9,  44,  47,  56,  85,  99,  132,  147,  211,  293 

Trimble,  Cary  A 186 

Tripler,  Chas.  S 233,  243 

Trollope’s  Bazaar  109 

Trush,  J 317,  318,  319 

Tullis,  J.  W 319 

Underhill,  J.  W.  296,  308,  319,  401,  409,  456 
United  States  Marine  Hospital  432 


PAGE 

Unzicker,  J.  S 101 

University  of  Cincinnati  (buildings)  252 
University  of  Cincinnati,  Medical  De- 
partment of  249,  253 

University  of  Louisiana  212 

University  of  Maryland  85 

University  of  New  York 212 

Lbriversity  of  Pennsylvania, 

41,  85,  147,  211,  248 

L^niversity  of  St.  Louis  212 

Vattier,  John  L 154,  168,  181,  204, 

209,  211,  243,  321,  328,  453 

Vaughn,  Daniel 116,  271,  300,  319,  362 

Velpeau  230 

Venable,  W.  H 26 

Vesalius  282,  375 

Vidal  230 

Vincent,  Sister  415 

Virchow,  Rudolph  190,  27  7 

“Vitapathy”  113 

Walker,  E.  W 335,  400 

Walker,  J.  P 454 

Walton,  C.  E 391 

Walton,  Geo.  E 309,  319,  453,  480 

Warder,  J.  A 116,  208,  225,  252,  328 

War  Nurses  418 

Warren,  John  Collins  42,  200 

Waterhouse,  Benjamin  17 

Watkins,  Lyman  383 

Watson,  Abijah  411 

Wayne,  E.  S 89,  90,  91,  291  319 

Webb,  J.  T 424 

Webster,  James  138 

Wenning,  Wm.  H.  ..104,  295,  422,  423,  453 

Werner,  G.  C 423 

Wesleyan  University,  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  207 

Whitacre,  H,  J 253,  409,  480 

White,  John  F., 

320,  326,  327,  335,  409,  415,  452 
White.  T.  P .295 


PAGE 

Whitman,  Josiah 126,  134,  2.52,  253,  393 

Whittaker,  James  T 82,  175,  197, 

234,  236,  243,  252,  274,  276,  453,  480 

Wiggers,  H.  H 391 

Wiggers,  E.  S 391 

Wilfert,  Chas 423 

Williams,  B.  A 433 

Williams,  Elkanah  ..322,  333,  343,  409,  415 

Willoughby  University  211 

Wilms,  J.  H 391 

Wilson,  John  B 472 

Wilson,  Rev.  J.  L 182 

Williams,  Mica] ah  F 124 

Wilson,  T.  P 387 

Wistar,  Caspar  49,  164,  172,  457 

Withrow,  J.  M 336,  409 

Woman’s  Medical  College  294 

Wood,  Thomas 91,  208,  215,  223, 

251,  256,  271,  415,  319,  406,  409 

Woodward,  Charles  305,  306,  318 

Wood,  William  76 

Woolley  (Wooley),  John 86,  88,  120 

Worcester  ( Worchester) , Noah  ....  214 

Worthington  College  358 

Worthington,  Lewis  413 

Worthington,  L.  N 471 

Wright,  Chas.  0 268 

Wright,  Guy  W 75 

Wright,  Chas.  W 208,  256,  290,  319 

Wright,  C.  M 92.  238 

Wright,  M.  B 110,  115,  154,  160, 

168,  174,  224,  244,  247,  248,  252,  253, 

402,  406,  409,  436 

Yale  Medical  School  85 

Yandell,  L.  P 205 

Young,  Brigham  262 

Young,  Dan.  S 304,  312,  319,  409 

Young,  Joseph  16 

Zenner,  Ph 253,  455 

Zinke,  E.  G 25.3,  453,  480 

Zipperlen,  A 103,  104 


m tf  THE 

SEP  6-  iSS. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


490 


